Gaming pc build

[Joshy]

I'm thinking of building my own gaming PC, and this is what I've got so far. I'm on a fairly tight budget...

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 (3.1ghz 3MB L3 dual-core with HT) (amazon link) (I could save for an i5, yes or no?)
RAM: 8GB DDR3 is cheap enough these days...
SSD: 32GB OCZ Onyx SATAII (to keep Windows 7 & other OSes on, user data / apps will be on HDD) (amazon link) (I may just save up to get a SATAIII SSD with maybe 64GB)
HDD: something 500GB or bigger
MB: Asus P8H61-M PRO (amazon link) (SATAIII, USB, PCI-E x16 x2 and PCI-E x1 x2. On-board HDMI, I'll explain why later)
GFX: Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7750 1GB GDDR5 (amazon link)
PSU: unknown as of this moment

The real difference here is however, I will be buying these (if I will that is) part by part, in the following order.
0) Case
1) MB
2) CPU
3) PSU
4) RAM (it's now bootable from a USB drive, no need for GFX / HDD / SSD yet, Puppy Linux . This is why I would like the motherboard with on-board HDMI, plus it's generally easier to use with TVs then.)
5) SSD (Windows can be installed, but can't really do anything yet)
6) HDD (Now I can install stuff and so on... but not enough graphical power for games)
7) GFX

A few questions for you all now;

• would this run Minecraft, GTA:SA, MW2, MW3 and maybe BF3 at decent resolution and settings?
• do you know any site other than amazon who supplies computer parts in the UK, preferably cheaper than Amazon if possible?
• should I save up for an i5?
• should I save up for a bigger SSD, with SATAIII support?

[Lindsey]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

Some things might be cheaper, some more expensive. But it looks about the same price range.

For example
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-294-SP&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=
the base price is cheaper than Amazon, but amazon have it on sale.

[Dr_dog]

You should have atleast 100GB for OS if your using a damn windows, for linux 32GB is probably fine, Just think is is enough to fit all important programs there. Also SSD is recommended to be read only so it saves it's life as it has limited writes. HDD should be atleast 1TB or 2 500GB.
i5 is always better and here where i buy all the stuff theres difference between i3 and i5 only 40€

would this run Minecraft, GTA:SA, MW2, MW3 and maybe BF3 at decent resolution and settings?

In the integrated or with Graphic card?
BTW, get a full ATX or mid ATX which supports for micro ATX boards, those mATX cases are so tight you can barely fit anything inside

[RaceRX]

save for the i5. And get my PSU.. its a seasonic 620w or something like that. How much do you have exactly to spend..

[Viper]

go get the i5 2500k it like 300 dollars in aud or less i think and get a 750 psu
http://www.netplus.com.au/product/CPINPDI5-2500K/Intel_Core_i5_2500K_Unlocked_3.3Ghz_6Mb_Cache_Sandy_Bridge_4C4T_CPU_LGA1155_SB2500K   that the i5 i got but it good

[RaceRX]

go get the i5 2500k it like 300 dollars in aud or less i think and get a 750 psu
http://www.netplus.com.au/product/CPINPDI5-2500K/Intel_Core_i5_2500K_Unlocked_3.3Ghz_6Mb_Cache_Sandy_Bridge_4C4T_CPU_LGA1155_SB2500K   that the i5 i got but it good

750 isnt really necessary i think. 620 - 650 works..

[Dan_Nobleman]

Okay, Josh, an i3 is a horrible idea, you'd be better off getting a i5 2500k.

So heres an updated list that you should probably get...

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k
RAM: 8GB DDR3
SSD: 32GB OCZ Onyx SATAII (But you should probably get a SATA 6gbps SSD)
HDD: something 500GB or bigger (Western Digital Caviar Blue (Maybe))
MB: Asus P8H67-M PRO
GFX: Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7750 1GB GDDR5 ( Okay )
PSU: Corsair TX650 (If you can afford it)

P.S. A case is probably the least of your worries, so you should get that later on...

[Viper]

well racer i got a 750 watt psu and so does my brother my bro one got builted at a pc store so

[RaceRX]

Yeah but its extra money to spend that's not worth it. As it is he needs to save for the i5

[ihatetn931]

You only need a high wattage powersupply if you're gonna run multiple graphics cards or you have hardware that sucks and uses a lot of power.

[Viper]

i got 2 gpu's

[DJ_Smashon]

CPU: Intel i5-2500k Recommended! only ~220€

[Joshy]

Okay, Josh, an i3 is a horrible idea, you'd be better off getting a i5 2500k.

So heres an updated list that you should probably get...

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k
RAM: 8GB DDR3
SSD: 32GB OCZ Onyx SATAII (But you should probably get a SATA 6gbps SSD)
HDD: something 500GB or bigger (Western Digital Caviar Blue (Maybe))
MB: Asus P8H67-M PRO
GFX: Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7750 1GB GDDR5 ( Okay )
PSU: Corsair TX650 (If you can afford it)

P.S. A case is probably the least of your worries, so you should get that later on...

I'll try aiming for this, but I'll need a Z68 chipset MB for overclocking, and after-market cooler.
a XKT-1155 Z68AP-D3 from Gigabyte should do?

This 60GB SATAIII SSD too.

£162.50 (CPU) + £78.80 (MB) + £17.42 (4GB RAM module) + £17.42 (4GB RAM module) + £67.20 (SSD) + £83.90 (GFX) + £56.60 (HDD) + £59.49 (PSU, OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W) = £543.33

Anyway, how much do you think these will all get if I sell them on eBay?

• Xbox 360 Pro HDMI 20GB + 1 controller + HDMI cable
• Forza 3, Halo 3, Bioshock 2, Xbox Live Arcade Collection
• Wii + 2 controllers + 1 nunchuk
• Around 20 games
• Old PS3 for spares

[bazingashane0]

CPU: i3-2120 Quad Core http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-Quad-Core-Processor-Warranty/dp/B004FA8NXM/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333265933&sr=1-4 £100.60
Motherboard: Asus PH8P67-M Pro http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-1155-P8H67-M-PRO-M-ATX/dp/B004O9WT16/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333266076&sr=1-1 £78.97
RAM: Kingston 4gb DDR3 1333MHZ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-1333MHz-DDR3-Non-ECC-Memory/dp/B002K23V1Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333266190&sr=1-1 £11.04 x 2 = £22.08
GPU: Sapphire 1GB DDR5 7750 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-Radeon-HD7750-Graphics-GDDR5/dp/B00761YFPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333266298&sr=1-1 £82.48
SSD: OCZ Agility SATA3 90GB http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-AGT3-25SAT3-90G-Agility3-Solid-State/dp/B005MYFHYS/ref=sr_1_18?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333266383&sr=1-18 £98.99
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600w http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-600W-ModXStream-Power-Supply/dp/B001GLFD54/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333266478&sr=1-2 £57.80
HDD: Seagate SATA3 500GB http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-ST500DM002-500GB-Serial-ATA-7200RPM/dp/B005GOTMR2/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1333266636&sr=1-3 £58.00

total £498.92 (plus cost of case and optical drive/ keyboard/ mouse)

[Strato]

4 GB Ram is Enough..  I use i5, GFX 550 and i don't have any problems

[Joshy]

Ok I've decided that i5-2500k is a bit overkill for me, and I talked with Shane earlier and settled on a i5-2320. It's still quad core and I don't do heavy gaming so it suits my needs. This also means I don't need a Z68 / P67 motherboard.

product	what I like	price
Asus P8H61-M PRO REV 3.0 Motherboard	Cheap, has iGFX HDMI, USB 3.0 and supports SATA III	£47.00 (amazon)
Intel Core i5-2320	Quad-core, decent for my needs and obviously more oomph than a i3	£129.98 (amazon)
Kingston 4GB 1333Mhz DDR3 RAM Module (x2)	No-frills, cheap, plenty of RAM for me	£17.93 (£35.86 combined) (amazon)
HDD	Ever since the Thailand floods, HDD prices have gone through the roof. So I'll use my old 2.5" SATA 250GB until prices fall.
Crucial CT064M4SSD2 64GB M4 SSD	Fast, SATA 3 interface, enough for my Windows installation and maybe a small Linux distro. But this is low-priority for now...	£70.00 (amazon)
Sapphire Radeon HD7750 Graphics Card (1GB, GDDR5)	At the lower-end of mid-range cards, it will suffice for GTA SA, Minecraft and so on. Maybe some BF3 without the extra eye candy.	£79.75 (amazon)
OCZ 600W ModXStream Pro Power Supply	It's a power supply made by a reputable brand. Clean power ftw!	£51.99 (amazon)
Antec Three Hundred Midi Case	I spend more time looking at the screen, not the computer itself (ok maybe if there's a fire I may just look over). So this case will do.	£47.78
TOTAL		£462.36 (without a HDD, cables etc)

Am I missing anything?

[RaceRX]

Looks decent, but I would go amd if you're looking at a low budget. I love my 960t and it was... 130ish..? The mobo was almost the most expensive part I bought I'm pretty sure...

[Joshy]

Looks decent, but I would go amd if you're looking at a low budget. I love my 960t and it was... 130ish..? The mobo was almost the most expensive part I bought I'm pretty sure...

I'd rather go with an i3... Honestly the i3 would just blow the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition away in single and dual-threaded tasks, even some triple-threaded. Core i5 would obliterate it.

[bazingashane0]

4 GB Ram is Enough..  I use i5, GFX 550 and i don't have any problems

With ram being so cheap these days it doesn't hurt to spend an extra tiny bit of money on extra ram.