Please Help! :)

JamesWhite95 · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:12

To all those in the know when it comes to gaming PC's, I have some questions. I've pretty much decided that we're getting one of these 2 PC's, the names of which I cannot mention do to forum rules. Each with the Asus Xonar DS 7.1 , the P8Z69-V motherboard, a 1TB 6.0 Gb/s hard drive (no SSD) and a CM Storm Enforcer Case.

I'll be using it for everyday stuff, such as internet browsing and word processing as well as some pretty intense gaming and some rendering with Sony Vegas. I plan on being able to run TES V: Skyrim maxed out at a high FPS, so I guess that's a benchmark for you.

1. Is an i7 really necessary?
2. Is an ATI HD6970 really necessary
3. Is it better to go with the 8GB Corsair Vengeance ram or 16GB standard ram (I may very slightly overclock for 'the lolz')?
4. Is a CPU cooler necessary? (will be the Xigmatek HDT-S963)

Advice would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

stulid · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:13

You need to remove the competitor links quickly.

1. Is the i7 really necessary?

Nope. a i5 2500K is all you need - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=287

2. Is the HD6970 really necessary

Not really, a 6950/GTX570 is fine.

3. Is it better to go with the 8GB Corsair Vengeance ram or 16GB standard ram (I may very slightly overclock for 'the lolz')?

8GB is fine. Try the XMS3 at 1600mhz

4. Is a CPU cooler necessary?

You can still overclock with the stock Intel item to a bit over 4GHz, with a bigger cooler then higher is possible.

Jamiman · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:19

^^ as he said, 6970 is nice though.

You can't post links to websites that aren't OCUK on the forums, you'll need to remove those

stulid · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:24

You may have removed the links, but you have still left the name in the post

logi-cat · 17 Sep 2011 at 15:34

what resolution is your monitor?

JamesWhite95 · 17 Sep 2011 at 17:41

It will be full HD, so 1920 by 1080.

JamesWhite95 · 17 Sep 2011 at 17:41

stulid said:
You may have removed the links, but you have still left the name in the post

Wait, so we're not even able to name products...? If that is the case, then how are we allowed to mention the Intel i7 or the ATI HD6970?

honosuseri · 17 Sep 2011 at 17:47

You can't mention competing retailers. We can talk product/specs as much as you like. We're just not allowed to tell you to spend money elsewhere

*edit*

You should tellus your budget i.e what these two computers are selling for. The guys (cough stulid cough) can then spec a build for you. Ok you have to do a lil work but you will almost certainly get more for your money. If you need help building you know where to find us

JamesWhite95 · 17 Sep 2011 at 17:58

Oh, okay, thanks a lot!

All corrections made now. My limit is about £1199 and I've decided on the better of the two, as the i7 may prove invaluable when it comes to Vegas. I'm now just puzzling over:
1. The RAM and the difference between 8GB 1666Mhz and 16GB 1333Mhz
2. The real advantages of the HD6970 and whether it is really needed
3. The most important question being whether the motherboard is really good enough for the build and any opinions on said Mobo.

4. The Xigmatek cooler
I suck at this stuff... I'm such a noob. :L
Any ideas?

stulid · 17 Sep 2011 at 18:02

1. The RAM and the difference between 8GB 1666Mhz and 16GB 1333Mhz

Get the XMS3 that was listed, 1600MHz RAm with the modest timings was perfect. 8GB is also loads.

2. The real advantages of the HD6970 and whether it is really needed

Save the money, get the 6950.

3. The most important question being whether the motherboard is really good enough for the build and any opinions on said Mobo.

The motherboard choice is fine.

JamesWhite95 · 17 Sep 2011 at 18:07

Thanks a lot, your opinion is invaluable.

Any thoughts on the Xigmatek HDT-S963? The reviews look pretty good.

stulid · 17 Sep 2011 at 18:22

JamesWhite95 said:
Thanks a lot, your opinion is invaluable. Any thoughts on the Xigmatek HDT-S963? The reviews look pretty good.

£20, great price.