Proposed Build -Finally!

[Sideman]

Proposed Build - Finally!

Well, after many false starts and (years!), it looks as if I'm going to finally be in a position to order the parts to build myself a new PC.

So I thought I'd run the bits I've selected past the knowledgeable folks here to see if I've got it right.

First thing. I'm not one who upgrades or rebuilds their system on a regular basis (still using my trusty old Coolercase Tornado from OC!), so I want something that will last a while and be as future proof as (if ever there is such a thing) as possible.

Second thing. Other than the usual stuff like web browsing, email etc, and a bit of work in Paintshop Pro, it will mainly be used for FS2004, FSX, BOBII & Rise Of Flight, plus any new games that might take my fancy, and also audio work in Sound Forge & CD Architect.

Third thing. I don't need any hard drives as I have 2 in my current system that I can use.

Here is what I've come up with: -

Your basket

1x "Krypton Z77 690i" Intel Core i7 3770K 3.50GHz @ 4.50GHz DDR3 Ivybridge Overclocked Bundle - £639.98

1x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 Windforce 3X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £349.99

1x Crucial RealSSD M4 512GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT512M4SSD2) - £307.99

1x Benq XL2420T 24" TRUE 120Hz 3D Vision 2.0 Widescreen LED Monitor - Black/Red [9H.L7PLB.QBE] - £287.99

1x Asus Xonar Essence ST Sound Card - £144.98

1x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium - Retail (GFC-00025)- £124.99 (Out of Stock)

1x Corsair HX 850W ATX Modular SLI Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-850HXUK) - £121.99

1x Fractal Design Define R4 Midi Tower Case - Black Pearl - £89.99

1x Logitech Wireless MK520 Desktop (920-002606) - £45.98 (Out of Stock)

1x Startech 4 Port Internal PCI-Express FireWire Card (PEX13943) - £22.99

1x Pioneer 24x Internal DVR-S19LBK DVD Rewriter including Labelflash - Retail - £20.99

3x Fractal Design 140mm Silent Cooling Fan - £36.72

I've not any knowledge or dabbled into overclocking before, hence the decision to go for a pre-overclocked bundle. (Whilst I could learn about it, I think it's best left to the experts at OC).

On the graphics side, is it for my needs worth paying the extra and going for the Gigabyte GTX 680 WindForce over the 670?

And I was torn between the Dell UltraSharp U2412M & the Benq XL2420T, but as you can see, have decided on the latter. (Both seem to have good reviews and are recommeded on these forums).

(The Firewire card is so I can use my DV Cam as the Asus P8Z77-V included in the bundle doesn't have Firewire).

 

[mickyflinn]

You could save yourself a bit if you go for a 3570k based sytem, the 3770k has hyperthreading which is useless in gaming.

Unless you are doing highly threaded apps like video editing, etc.

 

[ozzymundo]

You could go for a 750w PSU as well, that'll easily power 670's in Sli and the other gear.

There is a very small difference (usually around 5%) between the 670s and 680s, personally I wouldn't say it's worth it but it's up to you.

It depends whether you want better colour reproduction or 120Hz and 3D. Personally as you're doing more gaming and less photo/video editing I would go for the BenQ, but people do game on the IPS panel as they prefer the colour over the frames... again, it's up to you as to what you think is important.

 

[Sideman]

Thanks for the input so far.

I think I'll stay with the 3770k as I might well be doing some video editing/rendering in the future, (also rendering large audio files too) so the hyperthreading might come in useful.

As for the PSU, I did wonder if 850W might be overkill, but it seemed a good deal for the price. However, on ozzymundo's advice, I might well change that to the HX+ 750W '80 + Gold', which although nearly the same price as the HX 850, seems to be the latest version in the HX series.

I've been thinking a bit more about the monitor and am still leaning towards the BenQ. Despite the various issues with a TN panel, I can safely say it will be WAY better than the current monitor I'm using!

Still pondering over the 670 or 680 though!

Once again, thanks for the input and advice.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Katsumoto]

Never discount AMD for GPU's. If you're looking at 670/680's, look at 7970's too. Find out what games you play/will play, and look at the scores on those games. There's a lot of up and downs between them.

I'd take 850W PSU if it's the sameish price as a 750W. Why not.

I hope you have some nice speakers for that sound card! Else it's a terrible waste of money.