New Gaming Build

[Cassius106]

Hi there,

I have just finished speccing up a new build and am looking for opinions and any advice on stuff that needs to be changed.

This PC will be used pretty much exclusively for gaming and just general PC stuff and im not the sort of person who can afford to shell out for a new PC every year so my main focus is on building something that will last for a long time before needing to be replaced.

The system below is just above my budget of £1000 so id struggle to go above this in terms of price and I have not included case/monitor/keyboard/mouse/wireless adapter as I already have these.

I will be using www.cclonline.com and www.dabs.com for parts

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570k - £164.98
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler - £28.51
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro 4 S1155 Intel Z77 DDR6 ATX - £85.28
RAM: 16GB Mushkin Redline Enhanced 1600MHz (4x4GB) - £92
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 670 Overclocked 4GB - £357
Hard Disk: Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 1TB 7200rpm x2 £108(£54 each)
Solid State Drive: Intel 330 120GB Solid State Drive - £95
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer HCG-620 Power Supply Unit - £70.56
Optical Drives: Samsung 24x Internal DVD - £27(£13.50 each)

Thanks for any comments/advise and feel free to be as brutally honest as you like about any stupid choices or things iv forgotten.

Mike

 

[Charlie98]

The only obvious thing I see is your RAM... do you really need 16GB? Maybe start with 2x8GB and add another set later if you see the need. 'gaming and general PC stuff' shouldn't tax 8GB RAM even.

You forgot an OS...

I'm not qualified to comment on the GPU, but I'll bet there is room there for improvement, too.

 

[DSF]

Unless it's really a necessity, eliminating the second optical drive is an easy way to shave costs. You can always pop another one in later.

I also agree about the RAM, save some money and get 2x4GB for gaming.

What size is your monitor?

 

[Cassius106]

Monitor is 22" and I run a resolution of 1680 x 1050

I see the point about the RAM. I put it in just for future proofing purposes but its probably overkill

 

[Ken g6]

No way you need a 4GB 670 with that monitor. Better matches would be a 2GB 7870, or maybe a 3GB 7950. If you insist on nVidia, a 2GB 670 would be good, maybe even down to a 660.

 

[Termie]

Monitor is 22" and I run a resolution of 1680 x 1050

I see the point about the RAM. I put it in just for future proofing purposes but its probably overkill

No way you need a 4GB 670 with that monitor. Better matches would be a 2GB 7870, or maybe a 3GB 7950. If you insist on nVidia, a 2GB 670 would be good, maybe even down to a 660.

Ken g6 is entirely correct. You will never, ever see higher performance at that resolution with a 4GB GTX670, and in fact, what you'll instead experience is lower performance in every game: http://hardocp.com/article/2013/01/08/asus_geforce_gtx_670_directcu_ii_4gb_gpu_review/. The GTX670 2GB would in fact be superior for your needs.

But I actually second his suggestion of the HD7870 at that resolution, as it's plenty fast.

Also, while it's true 16GB isn't necessary for gaming, it's not necessarily bad to purchase it, if you're getting a good deal. Which you are not. You were going to pay more for your RAM than your motherboard? There must be a 16GB option that is available for less at your stores, if you'd still like to buy that much RAM now.

 

[mfenn]

Ken g6 is entirely correct. You will never, ever see higher performance at that resolution with a 4GB GTX670, and in fact, what you'll instead experience is lower performance in every game: http://hardocp.com/article/2013/01/08/asus_geforce_gtx_670_directcu_ii_4gb_gpu_review/. The GTX670 2GB would in fact be superior for your needs.

But I actually second his suggestion of the HD7870 at that resolution, as it's plenty fast.

Thirded. Another option for the OP would be to get a 7950 3GB and use the savings to get a 1080p monitor.

Also, while it's true 16GB isn't necessary for gaming, it's not necessarily bad to purchase it, if you're getting a good deal. Which you are not. You were going to pay more for your RAM than your motherboard? There must be a 16GB option that is available for less at your stores, if you'd still like to buy that much RAM now.

I agree. Here is a 2x8GB kit that costs less and doesn't have the silly heatspreaders that will block a tower HSF. There is no way the OP could get the Hyper 212 installed with 4 sticks of Mushkin Redline. Well, no way without busting out the tin snips that is.

 

[Cassius106]

Thanks for all the advise guys

With that in mind I will be using a 2GB GTX 670
http://www.cclonline.com/product/86...eForce-GTX-670-FTW-2GB-Graphics-Card/VGA0723/

And will be dropping down to 8GB of RAM without the silly heat spreaders
http://www.cclonline.com/product/63...-CL9-DDR3-Two-Module-Kit-Low-Profile/RAM0346/)

 

[mfenn]

I'd avoid cards with blower-style coolers because they are louder than they need to be. Scan as a dual-fan Gigabyte for about the same price as that EVGA.