PC build for 2560 x 1440 resolution gaming

[Jaynos]

Hi Guys, I am new here but wanted to ask some advice. I am mostly a console gamer but also own a 27" imac which I have been playing a few pc games on recently. The native resolution is 2560 x 1440 but noticed games really do not run at all well wit this setting so I would love to pick your brains on what I would need to buy and spend to be able to play modern games in high quality with 2560 x 1440 resolution with fps of 60 +.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[AshD93]

Well a GTX 670 will run most games on max at 1080p.

So in my opinion, a 680 should do you fine and a 670 if you knock the settings down. This is just from having a quick look on AnandTech.

 

[Jaynos]

Thanks Ash. I will need to buy a new PC so was also wondering if anyone can spec me a pc?

 

[Ch3m1c4L]

1.5gb vram minimum, 2gb+preferred for more AA.
1 480 runs a lot of games ok, 2 runs things like bf3 etc max.

1 680 should therefore be ok with most games, but if you want literally everything at 60fps solid u will need more than one card tbh.

 

[mp260767]

what sort of budget are you looking at putting the system together with ?

 

[Jaynos]

1.5gb vram minimum, 2gb+preferred for more AA.
1 480 runs a lot of games ok, 2 runs things like bf3 etc max.

1 680 should therefore be ok with most games, but if you want literally everything at 60fps solid u will need more than one card tbh.

Wow was hoping that a 680 might be able to handle it. I've seen the 690 but way too much to spend on a gfx card at 950 odd squid!

I might need forget about being able to play games at that res!

 

[Jaynos]

what sort of budget are you looking at putting the system together with ?

Maybe £1000 but am interested to know how much I would have to spend to get games running smoothly in 2560 x 1440 resolution!

 

[[WU-TANG]GZA]

YOUR BASKET
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (02G-P4-2670-KR) £305.99
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £189.95
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £105.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £89.99
1 x OCZ ZS Series 750W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £72.98
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Case - Black £59.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £44.99
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler (Socket Intel® Socket LGA1366/1156/1155/775/AMD Socket FM1/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2) £23.99
1 x OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
Total : £923.84 (includes shipping : £12.50).




That should run games relatively well at 1440p. You could change the GPU to 2x of these instead:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-052-HS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411

Which would offer more grunt cost £100 more but still be within £1000.

 

[mp260767]

i'd put another £500-£700 on top of your £1,000 for a dual 680 system with suitable psu/mobo and case.

 

[MORE SPEED]

If you can cope with not having everything at ultra, then you don't need to spend anywhere near £1500-£1700.

 

[cereal3]

So, first thing: which games? Secondly, do you need a 2nd 2560 monitor or will your Mac be able to pass the input through its screen

 

[Jaynos]

i'd put another £500-£700 on top of your £1,000 for a dual 680 system with suitable psu/mobo and case.

Interesting... so at least £1500

 

[Jaynos]

So, first thing: which games? Secondly, do you need a 2nd 2560 monitor or will your Mac be able to pass the input through its screen

I could use my mac as a monitor but I would probably look to sell in in order to fund the pc

I would be playing gta 4, gta 5 (when it comes out). BFBC 2. Total War Shogun 2 (and any new versions that come out), Also The new Sim city when it comes out...

 

[PorkPieCat]

dual 670s instead of 680s will cut price a fair bit without compromising any significant performance. the 2gb vram is supposedly just enough at that res, but only for current titles so you might have to think about that

 

[Jaynos]

Ok, thanks for the advice. What do people think about thunderbolt?

 

[AshD93]

Ok, thanks for the advice. What do people think about thunderbolt?

I didn't think there were any graphics cards that output through Thunderbolt. I may be wrong though.

 

[chipachap]

For BF3 and similar games in the future, (e.g NFS and new MoH use the same engine) at that res you will want 2 x 670's to play at high settings and above. Also if you like MSAA like many do, you may want to consider 4gb cards considering 2gb are just about at their limit in BF3 with 4XMSAA. If you want to use Nvidia's FXAA instead this will save you some memory and FPS, but IMO FXAA on it's own just blurs things instead of sharpening the edges.

 

[Ch3m1c4L]

dual 670s instead of 680s will cut price a fair bit without compromising any significant performance. the 2gb vram is supposedly just enough at that res, but only for current titles so you might have to think about that

im at 2560*1600 and with no more than 2xaa 1.5gb is fine, and even with no aa it looks far superior to 1920 with 8x aa, except on singular lines of something, then it needs 2xaa to look better., so yea, 2gb+ is wanted

 

[chipachap]

im at 2560*1600 and with no more than 2xaa 1.5gb is fine, and even with no aa it looks far superior to 1920 with 8x aa, except on singular lines of something, then it needs 2xaa to look better., so yea, 2gb+ is wanted

Yeah the smaller pixels will def make jaggies/edges appear smaller. I've tried it but I still need at least 2 x MSAA. The next screen I buy will be a 2560x1440/1600 120hz 3D screen.

 

[Ch3m1c4L]

yea 2x does make it a lot nicer, for those few edges which are still noticeable.
I want a 3d screen too, but it wont arrive for a long time, so i figured get 2 2560*1440 screen to go with my 30, and run the 30 in letterbox mode for some surround gaming. just need one more monitor now