Gaming PC specs - Good or not

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 4:04pm #1

Processor
1 x 3.6GHz AMD FX-4100 4-Core CPU £112.49
Motherboard
1 x Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Motherboard £44.99
Graphics Card
1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560Ti 1GB Graphics Card £197.99
Memory
1 x 8GB Crucial Ballistix 1333MHz RAM £41.99
Hard Drive
1 x 1TB (1000GB) Sata III Hard Drive £71.99
Case
1 x CIT Blue Vantage Gaming Case £35.99
Optical Drive
1 x 24x DVD-RW Optical Drive £16.99
PSU
1 x Xigmatek 600W PSU £49.99
Cooling
1 x Xigmatek Gaia Air CPU Cooler £25.99
Operating System
1 x No Operating System Needed £0.00
Warranty
1 x 1 Year Standard Warranty £0.00

Grand Total Incl. Tax £573.48
Thats about 755 euro, worth it or not?

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 4:06pm

Not quite sure why you keep starting new threads.

That would have been a reasonable spec 12 - 18 months ago. The CPU is right at the bottom end and about to be replaced. The GPU is discontinued.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 4:07pm

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Not quite sure why you keep starting new threads.

That would have been a reasonable spec 12 - 18 months ago. The CPU is right at the bottom end and about to be replaced. The GPU is discontinued.

Sorry I just thought my old thread would be pointless to bump.
I know nothing about PC's or building PC's so expect me to ask a lot of stupid questions

I have a PC now but it's absolute **** so anything would be better.
I don't need a top of the range PC i just need a good PC that will run most games.

Eboggles · 12-08-2012 4:11pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

Sorry I just thought my old thread would be pointless to bump.
I know nothing about PC's or building PC's so expect me to ask a lot of stupid questions

I have a PC now but it's absolute **** so anything would be better.
I don't need a top of the range PC i just need a good PC that will run most games.

It's not old at all, the last reply was 6 hours ago. I put up a build that would obliterate the one you posted, and Procrastastudy but up a brilliant one as well.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 4:14pm

Eboggles wrote: »

It's not old at all, the last reply was 6 hours ago. I put up a build that would obliterate the one you posted, and Procrastastudy but up a brilliant one as well.

Yeah, the thing is I would like a fast 4 core or an intel 5.
I'd like to have it future proof and an i3 I don't know if that would suit.

Would there be any way I could speak to you on a chat, a quicker one like gmail or facebook or anything?

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 4:18pm

I'm not trying to sound like an asshat here - but say you have no knowledge - but aren't really putting stock in what your being told as someone else is advising you. Thats fair enough as we are peep on da internet and who knows we could be telling you fibs. I have posted links to independent (ish) CPU reviews.

4 Core AMD processors are not as good as dual core i3s - there is one exception and that is if you're into over clocking and have specific application requirements and cant stretch to an i5.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like - and also don't take anyones word for it look it up - we're happy to link it for you. Please keep it to one thread though make life easier for everyone.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 4:20pm

Procrastastudy wrote: »

I'm not trying to sound like an asshat here - but say you have no knowledge - but aren't really putting stock in what your being told as someone else is advising you. Thats fair enough as we are peep on da internet and who knows we could be telling you fibs. I have posted links to independent (ish) CPU reviews.

4 Core AMD processors are not as good as dual core i3s - there is one exception and that is if you're into over clocking and have specific application requirements and cant stretch to an i5.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like - and also don't take anyones word for it look it up - we're happy to link it for you. Please keep it to one thread though make life easier for everyone.

I have no knowledge whatsoever really, but I'd prefer an i5 over anything.
I might sound like an absolute dumbass because I am when it comes to computers but you know.

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 4:22pm

We're happy to spec anything you like - we're just trying to tell you that its not a good idea.

I'll spec you an i5 machine with a 'what was left in the budget'

Item|Price
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.16
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 3 6GB/s|€75.59
BitFenix Merc Beta|€33.20
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.20
Samsung SH-222BB schwarz|€16.60
ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€91.34
Intel Core i5-3450 Box, LGA1155|€181.17
MSI R6870-2PM2D1GD5/OC, 1024MB, PCI-Express|€139.00
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€634.25

Right that leaves you €100 or so for the OS, Keyboard and mouse - no monitor in that build but you could drop the GPU down to a 7750 to save around €40.

That's an Ivybridge i5 - the newest type - again a Sandybridge i5 would represent better value but I'm just centrering the build on the CPU.

Sarz91 · 12-08-2012 4:22pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

Yeah, the thing is I would like a fast 4 core or an intel 5.
I'd like to have it future proof and an i3 I don't know if that would suit.

Would there be any way I could speak to you on a chat, a quicker one like gmail or facebook or anything?

There's no such thing as "future proof". I don't understand. If you want an I5 then get one. If your budget doesn't allow it then save. There's no point in buying something you're not entirely happy with just for the sake of getting it. You'll end up spending more money in the long run. For 600-700 euro the builds in the other thread are fantastic. Again, if you're not happy that you can't get an I5 with your current budget then save.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 4:29pm

Sarz91 wrote: »

There's no such thing as "future proof". I don't understand. If you want an I5 then get one. If your budget doesn't allow it then save. There's no point in buying something you're not entirely happy with just for the sake of getting it. You'll end up spending more money in the long run. For 600-700 euro the builds in the other thread are fantastic. Again, if you're not happy that you can't get an I5 with your current budget then save.

I can increase from 700 but I am willing to decrease less demanding components for the more important ones like maybe the case, hard drive or graphics card, but then again I don't know what result this will have on the system.

Eboggles · 12-08-2012 4:30pm

Just putting it out there, an i3 with a 7870 would absolutely dominate an i5 with a 6870 in every single game out there. Just because it's a larger number doesn't mean it's that much better.

You could always stick in an i5 at a later date.

Sarz91 · 12-08-2012 4:32pm

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 4:34pm

Eboggles wrote: »

Just putting it out there, an i3 with a 7870 would absolutely dominate an i5 with a 6870 in every single game out there. Just because it's a larger number doesn't mean it's that much better.

You could always stick in an i5 at a later date.

There's an example of my ****ty knowledge

Could you explain the different between an i3 7870 and an i5 6870.
Like what's the i3's or what does the "7870" mean?

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 4:35pm

For you:

Case - doesn't matter you're not over clocking so go with what ever. Shiny and cheap = crap 90% of the time just in physical durability terms. Even the Bitfenix Merc are a little wobbly but they are good value.

GPU and CPU - these have to be balanced in a gaming rig unless you have unlimted funds. With the Z77 motherboard you can drop an i5 in if its ever needed. There will be a load of cheap i5s in around a years time as almost every gamer spec went for the i5-2500K.

HDDs - really dont make much odds these days just down to how much you want to store on it - ideally you want a solid state drive like EB spec'd but I still see them as a luxury when the CPU/GPU is being compromised on. Different strokes for different folks.

Sarz91 · 12-08-2012 4:35pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

There's an example of my ****ty knowledge
Could you explain the different between an i3 7870 and an i5 6870.
Like what's the i3's or what does the "7870" mean?

The 6870/7870 refers to a graphics card. The I3/I5 refers to a CPU.

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 4:37pm

i3 - XXXX e.g. 2120 is a CPU (dual Core 4 threads)
i5 - XXXX e.g. 2500K is a CPU (Quad core 4 threads)
i7 - XXXX e.g. 3770K is a CPU (Quad core 8 threads)

AMD (or ATI) HDXXXX - eg 6870 or 7870 is the GPU which drives the 3D system on the computer.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 4:42pm

Ah, sounds good.

So is there much difference between the following:

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=37514&agid=1165&apop=0

and

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=57535&agid=1165

What sort of difference for example?

Sarz91 · 12-08-2012 4:46pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

Ah, sounds good.

So is there much difference between the following:

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=37514&agid=1165&apop=0

and

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=57535&agid=1165

What sort of difference for example?

Yes. The 6950 is the previous generation of gpu's from amd/ati. The 7850 is from the current generation of gpu's. The architecture is different. At stock speeds the 6950 and 7850 are close to the same performance with the 7850 having the edge in some titles. But if you are not afraid of overclocking, the 7850 has way more headroom while using much less power and taking up less space in your case. Any decent overclocked 7850 will exceed the performance of a stock 7870 and cost a good bit less.

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 4:47pm

HD 7XXX is the current line HD 6XXX is the older type. The second number refers to its sub range so a 69XX was the top of the line 6 series the 78XX is the second from top 7 series. The last two number are the sub-sub line. 50 or 70 where 70 is better. there are some XX90 cards but they're specialist or late design cards.

a 6950 vs a 7850 the 6950 would win but would use more electricity.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 4:52pm

Procrastastudy wrote: »

HD 7XXX is the current line HD 6XXX is the older type. The second number refers to its sub range so a 69XX was the top of the line 6 series the 78XX is the second from top 7 series. The last two number are the sub-sub line. 50 or 70 where 70 is better. there are some XX90 cards but they're specialist or late design cards.

a 6950 vs a 7850 the 6950 would win but would use more electricity.

So the 6950 would win, it's 30 euro cheaper so would it be a better choice than the 7850?
Reducing the cost by 30 may give a chance to purchase a better PSU to help the system or am I wrong?

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 4:54pm

Win by a tiny margin - lose in some applications. PSUs are a thread in them selves but a 550W amazon for €50 is fine for 90% of builds.

EBoggles would be better to ask, than I, on a 6950 v 7850

This PSU is great for the type of build you're looking at - its overkill tbh it would happily power my rig. I have a 1000W monster because I'm an AMD fan boy and bought it 3+ years ago when stuff used to drink electricity.

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/500+-+600+Watts/30069/Super-Flower+Amazon+80Plus+550W.article

Eboggles · 12-08-2012 5:13pm

6950 vs 7850 isn't actually that hard, it really depends on which way you look at it.

In out of the box reference vs reference performance, it's basically even. However, when you open up MSI Afterburner the HD7850 wipes the floor with the HD6950, it's also a smaller card, and consumes only a fraction of the electricity.

It's kinda false economy to buy a HD6950 even though it's €30 cheaper. Get an aftermarket HD7850 and overclock it to death!

HD6950 vs HD7850

When overclocking, the HD7850 leaves it's competitor in the dust.

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 5:17pm

I stand corrected

OP I know you dont want to overclock but OCing a GPU is tottally different to OCing a CPU - AMD basically give you a button to push.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 5:19pm

Sarz91 · 12-08-2012 5:39pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

How's this PC? I made it up cos' I'm bored.

Item|Price
8GB-Kit Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 CL9|€41,54
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 3 6GB/s|€75.59
[URL=""]Thermaltake V3 BlacX Edition HDD Docking Station, ohne Netzteil[/URL]|€36,00
Thermaltake Smart Power 530W|€42.99
Samsung SH-222BB schwarz|€16.60
ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€91.34
Intel Core i5-3450 Box, LGA1155|€181.17
XFX RADEON HD 6950 830M 2GB DDR5 DUAL DP HDMI DUAL DVI|€193,60
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€697.82

Don't bother with that RAM. the G skill I think it is, is 4-5 euro cheaper. Get the 7850 instead.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 5:48pm

What's best from these?

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/1333+Low+Voltage/48854/8GB-Kit+Corsair+ValueSelect+PC3-10667U+CL9.article

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/1333+Low+Voltage/58868/8GB+Corsair+XMS3+PC3-10667U+CL9-9-9-24.article

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/1333+Low+Voltage/58869/8GB+Corsair+ValueSelect+PC3-10667U+CL9-9-9-24.article

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/1333+Low+Voltage/44312/8GB-Kit+G.Skill+RipJaws+PC3-10667U+CL9.article

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 5:52pm

Non overclocked intel systems dont care about memory buy this:

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=44315&agid=1192

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 8:20pm

So me and a friend of a gaming community just built this PC.
He says it could play most games at high specs.
He works at an electrical store so I'm assuming he knows what he's talking about, let me know your opinions please!

http://postimage.org/image/yf2resx0x/

Eboggles · 12-08-2012 8:32pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

So me and a friend of a gaming community just built this PC.
He says it could play most games at high specs.
He works at an electrical store so I'm assuming he knows what he's talking about, let me know your opinions please!

http://postimage.org/image/yf2resx0x/

It's pretty ok, as I said earlier the HD7850 is a better choice than the 6950, and the fact that you'd be better off dropping down to an i3 and getting a HD7870 means that you should probably go with the other posted builds.

The case is pretty meh, and I wouldn't trust that PSU.

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 8:37pm

Eboggles wrote: »

It's pretty ok, as I said earlier the HD7850 is a better choice than the 6950, and the fact that you'd be better off dropping down to an i3 and getting a HD7870 means that you should probably go with the other posted builds.

The case is pretty meh, and I wouldn't trust that PSU.

Like I don't need a top class PC, I need something that can play most games at decent settings and stuff.
I was told that my specs could play most games at high settings, what do you think?

Eboggles · 12-08-2012 8:41pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

Like I don't need a top class PC, I need something that can play most games at decent settings and stuff.
I was told that my specs could play most games at high settings, what do you think?

But the build that was recommended was the same price? Why wouldn't you just take extra performance for free?

Sarz91 · 12-08-2012 9:17pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

Like I don't need a top class PC, I need something that can play most games at decent settings and stuff.
I was told that my specs could play most games at high settings, what do you think?

I don't mean to sound like a dick but why are you asking for advice and then taking none of it?

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 9:18pm

I'd rather hear from different people to get opinions than off one person

Eboggles · 12-08-2012 9:21pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

I'd rather hear from different people to get opinions than off one person

Sounds like you'd rather hear from yourself...

BenMcCabe · 12-08-2012 9:23pm

Eboggles wrote: »

Sounds like you'd rather hear from yourself...

I wouldn't like to hear from myself because I know absolutely nothing to do with PCs so that would only end up bad.
It's my first major gaming PC, the one I have now has been a family PC that I use most so I wanted to invest in a gaming PC.
It's all out of my own money so I'd rather spend time asking different people what they think and what they would buy.
Don't mean to offend or insult anyone by not picking there recommendations or completely going against them but I just want the perfect PC for my money if you understand.

Sarz91 · 12-08-2012 9:29pm

BenMcCabe wrote: »

I wouldn't like to hear from myself because I know absolutely nothing to do with PCs so that would only end up bad.
It's my first major gaming PC, the one I have now has been a family PC that I use most so I wanted to invest in a gaming PC.
It's all out of my own money so I'd rather spend time asking different people what they think and what they would buy.
Don't mean to offend or insult anyone by not picking there recommendations or completely going against them but I just want the perfect PC for my money if you understand.

We're not insulted if you don't go with our particular builds but you don't seem to be heeding any of our advice at all. We've each given you at least one build. Most of the components are common throughout all of the builds. You asked for a build, we gave you multiple builds. You asked questions, we gave you answers. Now, it seems like you want more builds. I'm not angry or annoyed, I'm just confused as to what information or help you'd like from us that's all.

Procrastastudy · 12-08-2012 10:31pm

It's no skin of our nose if you go for a crappy build - we just don;t like seeing people ripped off or making crap decisions.

There is no point in going for non-unlocked Ivybridge CPUs - they are exactly the same as the K series with a locked clock speed.

PSUs - Monotype has written pages on this you don't seem to have read them. I linked you sever articles on CPUs you didn't read them.

If you want to go with what your mate recommends do so - the consensus here is he's wrong. Who's advise you buy is your own business. I myself came here after a massive argument which after Shadow decided to stop being insulting and actually explain stuff

I was proved wrong. That said its not the most disastrous build I've ever seen - why not get him to link you to the reviews he's used and decide for yourself.

CL7 10666 RAM on an Intel i5 Ivybridge:

That directed at your mate not you

- Tell him to create an account and come and have a chat we'll point him in the right direction. If he still thinks he's right go with what he's telling you.

Gaming PC specs - Good or not

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