New "Mid Level" Gaming PC - Noob needs advice

Lazder said:
Please read this http://ark.intel.com/products/52271/

1) It costs exactly same as 3570K around 170-180
2) It is on 1155
Click to expand...

Why didn't you have one in your spec on the build you posted earlier? Because it's NOT stocked here ;)

P.S

No IGP on the xeon means that it isnt fully utilising the Z77 mobo. LucidMVP makes clever use of the IGP to boost the GPU or save power by not using the dedicated GPU. The CPU also won't support quick sync to help with video encoding tasks (by supporting software) either as no IGP is present. The xeon doesn't enable the PCI-E 3 slot on the mobo either come to think of it, so a lot of the Z77 features are going to waste. The Xeon does have Hyperthreading but we often say the i7 isn't worth the extra for it on a gaming rig, so it's hardly a plus point for the CPU.
 
Last edited:
Lazder said:
Question is though, would you rather have 3570K over 1230?? A lot of people dont use Lucid including myself, there were a lot of Z68 motherboards which didnt even support IGP. Pretty sure there are some Z77 out there like that...

For me personally IGP< Hyperthreading.
Click to expand...

Was there? Can you name one?

To my knowledge, the H series had no overclocking and the IGP output. The P series did OC'ing but no IGP outputs and then the Z series was able to do both (IGP and OC).

The supplied lucid software made clever use of the IGP further. The Z77 comes with lucid MVP (it can switch and boost the dedicated GPU) the Z68 only come with lucid (switches between IGP and GPU) but you could use the lucid MVP software if you acquire it on a Z68.

I like IGPs they save the need for a dedicated GPU for some builds. Those that do have a GPU have the IGP to fall back on fall troubleshooting GPU problems.

Quick sync also needs the IGP, it does make a big difference to video encoding. Using quick sync on a i5 2500K (@4.4Ghz) i re-encoded a 2hr film on the fly from the DVD in 20mins with DVDfab!!
His current GPU should also have CUDA support which is another bonus, the application of CUDA is for most people more likely than the need for hyperthreading.

Maybe OCuk don't stock the 1155 Xeon as they doubt there is much of a market for it ;)
 
honosuseri said:
Was there? Can you name one?

To my knowledge, the H series had no overclocking and the IGP output. The P series did OC'ing but no IGP outputs and then the Z series was able to do both (IGP and OC).

The supplied lucid software made clever use of the IGP further. The Z77 comes with lucid MVP (it can switch and boost the dedicated GPU) the Z68 only come with lucid (switches between IGP and GPU) but you could use the lucid MVP software if you acquire it on a Z68.

I like IGPs they save the need for a dedicated GPU for some builds. Those that do have a GPU have the IGP to fall back on fall troubleshooting GPU problems.

Quick sync also needs the IGP, it does make a big difference to video encoding. Using quick sync on a i5 2500K (@4.4Ghz) i re-encoded a 2hr film on the fly from the DVD in 20mins with DVDfab!!
His current GPU should also have CUDA support which is another bonus, the application of CUDA is for most people more likely than the need for hyperthreading.

Maybe OCuk don't stock the 1155 Xeon as they doubt there is much of a market for it ;)
Click to expand...

1)

Maximus IV Extreme

http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_IV_Extreme/#specifications

Just had a a quick look at ports, didnt seem to find HDMI or other ones... If high end motherboards dont bother with IGP support, I guess that is kinda saying something.... I pitch 1230 against 2500k/3570K because people who bought these CPU`s are most like gamers, and I seriously doubt that they rely on IGP, I think most of them dont even use it, maybe when their GPU fails...

2) As you said CUDA or ATI makes much more difference than IGP, I use Xilisoft Ultimate to convert movies to Iphone standart, and as I witnessed it does put all 8 threads to use... according to CPU Usage widget.

3) I could not find 1 motherboard for Z77 that did not have display port though....
 
Last edited:
Please stop lol You have just linked a P series mobo not a Z series ;)

For video encoding quick sync is more effective than cuda. Although CUDA is adopted by more software so its handy to have.

The ivybridge i5K has a better IGP so lucidMVP and quicksync will be better than on sandybridge. Factor in that ivybridge uses less power (77W TDP) and enables the PCI-E slot to work on the Z77s for the same price as the Xeon it's bringing more to the table.

The sandybridge 2550K caused an uproar as it was basically an i5 2500K with a duff IGP being sold at practically the same price. IGPs do matter, the masses have spoken lol Find a thread where someone has bought a 2550K and you will see people saying how stupid it was to lose out on the IGP.
 
After many of you were kind enough to educate me on a new PC build, I hit a financial brick wall and had to scrap the idea. Time to bump the thread as I'm in a position now to place an order with Scan. I would like Scan to build it for me by the way, not confident enough to do a manual build.

My requirements require the same as above but I'm wondering if any of you would have a quick read and update the specs for 2013? I suspect things have moved on again...

Many thanks!
 
Because it's sometimes easier to translate current models onto the price/performance points from when you were last up to date, this is the current "state of the nation" for price points, plus a few years performance improvements.

Intel price points are essentially the same, apart from dual core is everywhere
Old cheap celeron/pentium single cores -> new celeron/pentium dual cores
i3 = Core2Duo's replacement
i5 = replacement for the better Core2Duo and lower end-mid range Core2Quad (Your Q6600 fits in here)
i7 = The replacement for the higher end Core2Quads - the Q8000s and similar.

Graphics cards aren't quite as simple - when you bought it was presumably the end of the 8800GT/9xx0GTX etc era, start of the GTX240/260 and HD4850/4870 times, whereas now nVidia has complicated their lineup with multiple numbering series.

Basically the GTX460 is the old 8800GT, the second hand workhorse which will still run everything but the newest games on high, but is starting to show it's age and won't give you much longevity. It's fairly equivalent to the newer 7770, and you really want the 7850 as the starting card for gaming - it's the new 4850, handling the current stuff but probably starting to struggle with the next set of games.

Other than that, basically nVidia is easy - first number denotes range, so 660 is better than 560 is better than 460. Within each series the numbering is pretty much like the 240/260 etc, so a high end 4xx will beat a low end 5xx, which complicates things a little.

Other than that, AMDs processors are best avoided for gaming although still hold their own (per £) against intel for video editing etc due to their extra cores. As a rule, go for i5 and a decent graphics card and you'll do alright. i3 if you can't afford the i5, i7 if you have cash left over at the end.

Is your budget the same as previously?
 
Thank you for the reply, very helpful reading.

Yes, my budget is around the same but always willing to stretch if there is a good deal.
 
gas77 said:
Thank you for the reply, very helpful reading.

Yes, my budget is around the same but always willing to stretch if there is a good deal.
Click to expand...

To keep things simple,

£170 - 3570K (or 2500K (< £150) / 2600K (< £200) / 2700K (< £200) if you find a stupidly good deal).
£150 / £220 / £300 / £350 - 7850 / 7950 / 7970 / GTX670 depending on budget and preference. 2GB or 3GB VRAM.
£100 - Z77 motherboard.
£35 - 2x4GB RAM 1600MHz.
+£70 - 550W PSU, f you don't have one already.
+£30 - CPU cooler if you can fit in budget.
+£50 - Case maybe, maybe not.
+£70 - SATA HDD + optical, if yours aren't SATA.
+£80 - SSD 128GB, if you can fit extra in budget (£80).
 
Last edited:
This is slightly over your budget, but if you can re-use your case from your last PC it should bring it back down to pretty much budget. If you don't need much storage, you can also save £15 by dropping to a 500GB HDD (giving you 620GB all told). Alternatively drop the SSD altogether, which will make it a bit slower on the desktop and loading games, but will save some decent money.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ FARCRY3, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games £155.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3470 3.20GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £149.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TD120BW) £89.99
1 x Asus P8Z77-V LX2 Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00403) £79.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) £59.99
1 x Cooler Master GX Lite 600W '80 Plus' Power Supply £49.99
1 x GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1333C9DC) £35.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £29.99
1 x Samsung SH-118AB/BEBE SATA 18x DVD-ROM (Black) - OEM £14.99
Total : £746.89 (includes shipping : FREE).

 
What is the difference between the Z77 motherboard and Gigabyte GA-H61MA-D2V, Intel H61 Chipset. There is a £30 difference according to the Scan website. Does the extra £30 give me anything extra?
 
gas77 said:
What is the difference between the Z77 motherboard and Gigabyte GA-H61MA-D2V, Intel H61 Chipset. There is a £30 difference according to the Scan website. Does the extra £30 give me anything extra?
Click to expand...

Yeah, USB3, Overclocking support, probably a couple of things I missed. But definitely spend a little extra with a z77, especially if you go with a unlocked CPU ('K' series). Else there is little point getting a 'K' CPU with a H61 / B75 / H77. The 'P' and 'Z' boards support overclocking.
 
I don't really fancy my chances at over-clocking to be honest. So if missing out on OC'ing potential is the only downside (and not performance) then I'm happy to go with the cheaper motherboard. I can then use the cash and pay for a SSD

I guess therefore I can downgrade the CPU as well if I don't need to OC? Will someone wise advise me on which CPU to get with the other motherboard they have on the Scan website? The other MB being...

Gigabyte GA-H61MA-D2V, Intel H61 Chipset

Finally, I appreciate its not that worth it, but I do want a half decent soundcard so I'll grab the Asus Xonar Card.

Thanks again for all the advice.
 
Apologies, I name dropped a competitor.
Anyway, I placed my order this morning with OC.

Thanks for all the advice, I think I successfully navigated the techinical minefield that is PC's.

Any ideas on the most efficient way of tracking an order? I couldn't see anything in FAQ's.
 
gas77 said:
Apologies, I name dropped a competitor.
Anyway, I placed my order this morning with OC.

Thanks for all the advice, I think I successfully navigated the techinical minefield that is PC's.

Any ideas on the most efficient way of tracking an order? I couldn't see anything in FAQ's.
Click to expand...

I would assume, if tracking is available, you'd get a tracking number for the courier being used. You can track on their website if you've got a consignment/tracking number.
 
Thanks, its a bit early yet I'm sure, but I mean't where can I find an eta on the delivery? Earlier next week if I only placed the order today?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom