Gaming rig 800€ [no OC]

[ljl16]

Hi,

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mainly gaming. On a secondary level: HD movies and internet browsing. It's been a long time since my last build (6 years), so I mean it to last .
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
800€ with taxes (w/o shipping)
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Finland (yeah, I know)
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
PSU, case, graphics card, cpu, mobo, HDD, RAM, sound card.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1080p 23''
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This month.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Win 7 64b (I have it already)


Since I live in Finland, bonus would be if you can find the component available here: http://www.verkkokauppa.com/ (it's the cheapest store around up here). It's actually really useful for the budget since the prices will be most probably much higher than in the US (to the point probably the value of 800€ here equals 800$ there).

This is what one of my friend's suggested rig: https://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/cart/populate?products[26565]=1&products[38863]=1&products[50692]=1&products[2227]=1&products[43801]=1 with a gtx570. What do you think about it? It can be a completely different build though.

Cheers,

 

[Dangman]

Yeah your friend's build is not good at all:
- Since you're not overclocking, no reason to get the 2500K CPU at all.

- That mobo's quality is probably not that good considering how bad other AsRock Z68 mobos were:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/12/07/asrock_z68_pro3_lga_1155_motherboard_review/
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/11/09/asrock_z68_extreme4_gen3_motherboard_review/

- That RAM is rated at 1.65V, well above the max recommended voltage of 1.5V. In other words, using that 1.65V RAM may cause damage to your CPU.

- That case can barely provide sufficient cooling to the HD 6770 let alone a hot card like the GTX 570. Not to mention that it's cramped and has no cable management.

Here's what I recommend instead:
188€ - Intel Core i5-3450 CPU
99€ - Asus P8H77-M Intel H77 ATX Motherboard
$48€ - 2 x Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9/4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
263€ - Gigabyte HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card
73€ - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$76€ - Antec HCG-520 520W PSU
60€ - Fractal Design Core 3000 ATX Case
----
Total: 807€

If you need to save money and if this card is in stock when you buy, then go for this card instead:
http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/product/12089/dghvb/Sapphire-Radeon-HD7850-2GB-GDDR5

 

[ljl16]

Amazing, thanks a lot! If I could spend a little bit more in exchange for better rig, what would you change? (100-150€ more)

If so, would it provide a significant improvement?

Cheers,

 

[Dangman]

Amazing, thanks a lot! If I could spend a little bit more in exchange for better rig, what would you change? (100-150€ more)

If so, would it provide a significant improvement?

Cheers,

You have two routes basically with that much extra cash:
1) A solid Samsung 830 128GB SSD which will boost overall system responsiveness and shorten game load times but won't affect the framerate:
http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/product/55729/dfgkt/Samsung-830-Series-128-GB-2-5-SATA3-SSD-Bulk

2) A GTX 670 2GB card which will provide 30% to 50% performance increase in games:
http://www.verkkokauppa.com/fi/prod...GTX670-DC2-2GD5-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX670-2048-MB

 

[ljl16]

Hi everybody!

I am finally going to buy my rig next week and I need a little help in deciding certain components. As a reminder, the only webs I can buy from are verkkokauppa.com & jimms.fi.

98€ - MSI B75A-G43, LGA1155, Intel B75, DDR3, ATX]
VS
99€ - Asus P8H77-M Intel H77 ATX Motherboard

55€ - Antec ATX-kotelo, Three Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case
VS
60€ - Fractal Design Core 3000 ATX Case

44.9€ - G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) Ares Low Profile, DDR3 1333 MHz, 9-9-9-2N, 1.5 V
VS
48€ - 2 x Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9/4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

65€ - Silverstone 600W, Strider Essential, ATX 2.3, 80 Plus
VS
76€ - Antec HCG-520 520W PSU

The rest of the rig:
112€ - Seagate 2TB Barracuda, SATA III, 7200RPM, 64MB
199€ - Intel Ivy Bridge i5-3450, LGA1155, 3.1GHz, 6MB, Boxed (Uutuus!) |
263€ - Gigabyte HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card

Any advice? (could be even: here's this graphic card that has lowered price or any other component you'd change)

Also, I forgot to include in my requirements a heatsink/fan for the i5 3450 and potentially extra fans for the case. What are your recommendations? (don't take into account the overall budget cap of 800€, just try to get the best value for the money)

Cheers,

 

[Excalibur55]

Here are my comments for your questions :

1) Case : Definately go with Danny's choice here with the Fractal Design. The Antec 300 was Ok for my needs when I bought it last year but it's an outdated design with poor cable magement and barely adequate ventilation with the standard fans

2) RAM : Roughly the same caracteristics here; G.Skill is a better company and the price is lower so go with the G.Skill

3) PSU : Not sure about the Silverstone quality as a manufacturer. Antec is much better but I don't know if 520w is powerful enough. Personally I would go with with the HCG-620w model instead.

4) MOBO : Don't know enough about those two specific models proposed here; buth are from good companies though.

The rest of your build sems fine but I'm not sure about the quality of the Seagate drive. The Samsung model porposed by Danny Bui's is much better. Do you really need that capacity ? A SSD + the Samsung seems a better combination.

If you really want a good heatsink; go with the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 model : http://www.jimms.fi/tuote/RR-212E-16PK-R1

Hope that helps !

 

[ljl16]

Thanks a lot, that really helps!

Just out of curiosity, how can I distinguish if a HDD is better than another? Basically, how do you know about the samsung one being better than the seagate. Is it because of reviews or...? I'm certainly not gonna get the SSD, any other recommendations for quality HDD >500GB? (not necessarily 2TB, but I'd rather have a bit of leeway more than half a tera, because between games and HD movies... I'm sure I'll fill it up rather quickly).

One last thing: with the default fans that come with the fractal design (two if I'm not mistaken), does it have good airflow/ventilation or is it paramount that I add extra fans?

Cheers,

 

[tiraides]

Aside from multiple reviews, we determine good hard drives by looking at platter density -- how many platters per HDD, and how much storage density per platter. Ideally, you want a one- or two-platter drive with 500GB or larger drive platters. But some manufacturers -- *cough* WesternDigital *cough* -- use the same model number for different "types" of drives, which can make it hard to determine the drive's overall platter density.

Regarding your case, you should go for positive pressure, or (in other words) have more cool air coming in than hot air blowing out. The general rule is that your fresh air should come in (intake) from the front, bottom, and side(s) and your hot air should go out (exhaust) from the rear and top of the case. Assuming that you have one fan in the front and one fan in the rear, you may be better served with two or three additional fans. Place one in the front, one in the side (both intake), and one on the top (exhaust).

 

[ljl16]

Thanks for the help!

A couple of questions come to mind: How can I check the platter density of a certain HDD? I checked some webpages of technical details of both HDD models above but I didn't see any platter density-related data. I presume manufacturers wouldn't want to display that info on sales pages.

Regarding the fans... what brand/models do you recommend available from verkkokauppa or jimms?

 

[azeem40]

The Silverstone Strider is made by Sirtec. It is a good unit, but not great.

 

[Dangman]

98€ - MSI B75A-G43, LGA1155, Intel B75, DDR3, ATX]
VS
99€ - Asus P8H77-M Intel H77 ATX Motherboard

Asus.

55€ - Antec ATX-kotelo, Three Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case
VS
60€ - Fractal Design Core 3000 ATX Case

Fractal takes the win here. The Antec 300 is a fairly cramped case.

44.9€ - G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) Ares Low Profile, DDR3 1333 MHz, 9-9-9-2N, 1.5 V
VS
48€ - 2 x Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9/4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

Whichever company you trust more.

65€ - Silverstone 600W, Strider Essential, ATX 2.3, 80 Plus
VS
76€ - Antec HCG-520 520W PSU

Antec hands down. That Silverstone only an extra 2A on the +12V rail over the Antec HCG-520W's 40A on the +12V rail. Since the HCG is of higher quality, pretty much a no-brainer.

Also, I forgot to include in my requirements a heatsink/fan for the i5 3450 and potentially extra fans for the case.

HSF wise, I recommend the Coolermaster Hyper 212+

A couple of questions come to mind: How can I check the platter density of a certain HDD? I checked some webpages of technical details of both HDD models above but I didn't see any platter density-related data. I presume manufacturers wouldn't want to display that info on sales pages.

A lot of hardware new sites will often provide info about the platter density of a certain HDD. And there are times when it's an educated guess.

 

[ljl16]

Just waiting on advice on the extra fans and I'll be ready to finally start my build. Any suggestions? (brands, how many additional more needed?)

Thanks everybody for the great follow-up the whole thread through

Edit: What nvidia model would be equivalent to the Gigabyte HD 7850? Since I'm also a huge user of linux, ATI may not provide me the best support for that, so I'd like just to explore different possibilities.

 

[E4g1e]

Just waiting on advice on the extra fans and I'll be ready to finally start my build. Any suggestions? (brands, how many additional more needed?)

Thanks everybody for the great follow-up the whole thread through

Edit: What nvidia model would be equivalent to the Gigabyte HD 7850? Since I'm also a huge user of linux, ATI may not provide me the best support for that, so I'd like just to explore different possibilities.

Currently, there is none (at least not at this price point). At the same price point as the HD 7850, the only NVidia GPUs that are currently available are older chips that are noticeably slower than the HD 7850 in gaming. There is a huge gap in the Kepler-derived GeForce lineup between the good-bang-for-the-buck GTX 670 (which at $400 costs significantly more than the HD 7850) and the waste-of-$110 GT 640 (which performs slower than even the two-year-old GTS 450, let alone the GTX 550 Ti, due to its very low memory throughput).

 

[Dangman]

Just waiting on advice on the extra fans and I'll be ready to finally start my build. Any suggestions? (brands, how many additional more needed?)

You really only need one extra fan for the side. Then move the front fan to the top of the case and you'll be set. As for brands, whatever is cheap IMO.

Since I'm also a huge user of linux, ATI may not provide me the best support for that, so I'd like just to explore different possibilities.

According to the Linus, Nvidia isn't all that good when it comes to support:
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/06/linus-torvalds-says-f-k-you-to-nvidia/

 

[ljl16]

I was ready to buy the build everything and realized that the asus mobo is microATX? I am wary of having a gaming PC with so little pcb area in the mobo, wouldn't that be problematic regarding heat? Or having problems to anchor it to the case?

What do you guys think?

PS: What about a slighter greater capacity HDD than the Samsung F3 500GB, is there any other that you would recommend? (620GB-1TB range)

 

[Dangman]

I was arranging everything and realized that the asus mobo is microATX? I am wary of having a gaming PC with so little pcb area in the mobo, wouldn't that be problematic regarding heat? Or having problems to anchor it to the case?

That is slightly problematic with heat if you're planning on a SLI/CF setup or overclocking. Should not be any problems securing it to a case.

 

[ljl16]

That is slightly problematic with heat if you're planning on a SLI/CF setup or overclocking. Should not be any problems securing it to a case.

I don't know if this will be the case, but... wouldn't the cpu and gpu be closer in a mATX than an ATX? (even if no OC or SLI/CF) Will there be enough room to place the heatsink?

 

[Dangman]

I don't know if this will be the case, but... wouldn't the cpu and gpu be closer in a mATX than an ATX? (even if no OC or SLI/CF)

Slightly closer but still doable.

Will there be enough room to place the heatsink?

Yes unless the mATX mobo you chose has a weird setup.

Honestly dude if you're that worried, go return the mobo and get an ATX.

 

[ljl16]

Yep, I think that's what I will do. Any way to know the differences between the Asus P8H77-V and the LE version? (10€ apart from each other) Huge difference between that and the Asus P8H77-M ?

I can't find anything about it on the net (not even comparing technical details in the official website), so I thought maybe you could shed some light into it.

 

[tiraides]

Here's the NewEgg comparison page, but at first glance, the P8H77-V has a different audio chipset (VIA versus the LE's Realtek), more audio ports in the I/O panel area, and more internal fan headers. Both boards have one PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot and one PCI-E 2.0 x4 slot.

Unless you need the extra 10€, go with the P8H77-V.