~€800 Gaming Build

Frisbee · 11-09-2012 3:30pm #1

Playing around with the idea of building my own gaming rig at the moment. Will need to have an SSD in it and preferably a small case, the smaller the better really as I haven't a huge amount of space to fit it into my room, case doesn't have to be too stylish really, just something that keeps everything together and won't get too hot. Would rather go with an intel over an AMD also, i5 should do the job.

1. What is your budget? €700 - €800

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games) Gaming mainly, RTS like Total War etc. and FPS (CS:S, L4D2 etc) Something that'll be able to handle Rome 2 next year would be great. Hopefully some photo editing and website design stuff in the not too distant.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? No

5. Do you need a monitor? No

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No] It's a 22" Bush 1920x1080 HDTV at the moment, will probably upgrade in the future though.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.] Wireless card

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Maybe in the future.

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser] Any

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days] Within the next month.

If anyone has some time to throw together something for me in this price range and with those specs it would be much appreciated.

spix · 11-09-2012 4:00pm

Frisbee · 11-09-2012 4:48pm

That was quick, nice one!

Should have mentioned that I wanted to put in a HDD as well as an SSD, most likely a 1TB one. Anything I can cut back on or downgrade from there and still come in under 800? I need a copy of Windows too but I can source that elsewhere cheap enough so won't include it in the 800.

spix · 11-09-2012 4:58pm

alakazam!! heres the same basket with some discounts (not sure if they will work like this, might have to pm you them) should be able to fit a hdd in there as well.

also enter this code at checkout for 10e off

VME87RV166

Item|Price
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Arc Mini, mATX|€74.27
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€197.08
ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, Sockel 1155, mATX|€81.38
Samsung SSD 830 128GB SATA 6GB's Paper Box|€94.86
8GB-Kit Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 CL9|€33.07
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€39.86
Sapphire HD 7870 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express|€213.93
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€753.44

Frisbee · 11-09-2012 5:40pm

Nice one cheers man!

Frisbee · 11-09-2012 7:02pm

Out of interest would either this or this case be ok to fit everything into?

Both are a bit smaller and cheaper than the one listed above. Will also need a DVD drive but I'm guessing most are a standardised size that I could just pick a cheap one?

spix · 11-09-2012 7:09pm

Everything should fit okay in them but the fractal case is much better quality with removable dust filters/drive bays and whatnot. I'd say its worth the extra cost. It's shorter in height but a bit wider than the inwin cases.

For dvd drive this should do the trick

http://lb.hardwareversand.de/S-ATA/62885/Samsung+SH-222BB+schwarz.article

spix · 11-09-2012 7:23pm

Also a note on the 55 euro inwin case. It says 'Unique attributes of this piece: • Gebrauchsspuren • Verpackung: geöffnet ' which means its a returns item with some wear.

Frisbee · 11-09-2012 8:06pm

Sweet so I'll be looking at this:

Item|Price
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Arc Mini, mATX|€74.27
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€197.08
ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, Sockel 1155, mATX|€81.38
Samsung SSD 830 128GB SATA 6GB's Paper Box|€94.86
8GB-Kit Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 CL9|€33.07
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€39.86
Sapphire HD 7870 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express|€213.93
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€753.44

Plus:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 3 6GB/s

Samsung SH-222BB schwarz

Comes out a bit more expensive than I'd like, was hoping to get closer to 700 than 800, but I'm not going to be ordering for a week or two so I might end up tweaking it about somewhat.

Monotype · 11-09-2012 8:14pm

You'd be better off with the 7200.14 which is faster
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/7200+RPM/53882/Seagate+Barracuda+7200+1000GB%2C+SATA+6Gb+s.article

- although I'd usually go with the WD on account of the longer warranty, but it's out of stock.
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/7200+RPM/62133/WD+Caviar+Blue+1TB+6Gb's.article

Also, if you're not strapped for cash, I'd get the 3570K for not much more:
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/Socket+1155/56296/Intel+Core+i5-3570K+Box%2C+LGA1155.article

Frisbee · 12-09-2012 2:06pm

Ok so having put it all together it's coming out at €870, which is fairly above my original price range, especially as I still have to get Windows. I was hoping to spend about 750 or so, maybe up towards 800 if there was something definitely worthwhile getting.

I forgot to mention I need to throw in a Wireless card too for the time being until I can re-cable my broadband. Would this one do?

LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R

So what can I cut down on that will get me in below or at 750? The main benchmark for this will be something that can play Crusader Kings 2 really. The SSD, i5 and RAM pretty much need to stay, could I scalle back the Graphics Card a bit?

spix · 12-09-2012 2:14pm

You could get a 7850 1gb version for 40-50 euro cheaper. There is a 2gb version but it's priced pretty close to the 7870.

Frisbee · 12-09-2012 2:56pm

Cheers. I'm at 885 atm, realistically I need to chop at least 135 off that. I'm struggling to see where I can knock off money. The graphics card is realistically the only thing I can dowgrade. I can downgrade to 6gb RAM too but the saving on that is negligible (and pointless) really.

I could cut out the HDD too I guess, I have a couple of externals and I have an old 250gb SATA from an old computer I could probably stick in. So doing that and downgrading to the 2gb 7850 It looks like:

Item|Price
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Arc Mini, mATX|€77.88
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€203.93
ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, Sockel 1155, mATX|€85.68
Samsung SSD 830 128GB SATA 6GB's Paper Box|€99.74
8GB-Kit Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 CL9|€36.74
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.15
Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 lite retail|€192.13
Samsung SH-222BB schwarz|€16.50
LogiLink Wireless LAN 300 Mbps PCI Karte 802.11n 2T2R|€14.64
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€799.71

Still a bit more than I'd been hoping to spend really (despite the thread title

), I could always downgrade to the 1GB card like you suggested, is there a huge difference between the 1gb and 2gb? Or is there any 2gb cards in and around the €150 mark, the ASUS EAH7770-2GD5, AMD Radeon HD 7770, 2GB, PCI-Express for example, that would do a similar job to the 2GB 7870?

P.S. Cheers for all the help and speedy replies on this spix, still trying to get my head around all this.

spix · 12-09-2012 3:03pm

The 7850 is much better than the 7770. There's not really a disadvantage for the 1gb version except at really high resolution, since your on a budget I'd go for that instead. I'd recommend this one

http://lb.hardwareversand.de/1024+MB/59766/Club+3D+Radeon+HD+7850+royalQueen%2C+1GB+GDDR5.article

I'll get you the discount links again and post them here (I don't think they are working above)

spix · 12-09-2012 3:10pm

Monotype · 12-09-2012 3:16pm

Wireless card is incompatible. Here's what you'll need:
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/PCI-Express/30773/TP-Link+TL-WN781N%2C+150Mbps%2C+PCIe+x1.article

I'd recommend homeplugs first for better quality broadband, but it's €40 for a pair.

Edit: What about waiting for the GTX 650? I think it's due today or the 14th or something close.

Frisbee · 12-09-2012 3:17pm

Nice one man. That's working out at 713.72 + 18.99 shipping which Is fine for what I want to spend. Will those discounted links work for long do you reckon? I'm waiting on confirmation of something with work before I pull the trigger on this.

Also how long to hvs roughly take to deliver?

spix · 12-09-2012 3:18pm

They'll expire after a while but just click them again, price sometimes goes up or down a small bit though

It usually takes 4-5 working days after they get payment.

Frisbee · 12-09-2012 3:37pm

Monotype wrote: »

Wireless card is incompatible. Here's what you'll need:
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/PCI-Express/30773/TP-Link+TL-WN781N%2C+150Mbps%2C+PCIe+x1.article

Silly question probably but why is the wireless card incompatible? Would just like to know so I know what to look out for in future.

spix wrote: »

They'll expire after a while but just click them again, price sometimes goes up or down a small bit though It usually takes 4-5 working days after they get payment.

Ah ok cheers, hopefully I'll be able to order in the next day or two.

I'm assuming software 4 students is still the best place to get yourself a copy of Windows?

spix · 12-09-2012 3:40pm

@monotype the gtx 650 is going to be a slower card, similar to the 7750/7770. Maybe you are thinking about the non ti version of the 660. That's going to be priced nearer to 250 though I would think.

spix · 12-09-2012 3:53pm

Frisbee wrote: »

Silly question probably but why is the wireless card incompatible? Would just like to know so I know what to look out for in future.

Ah ok cheers, hopefully I'll be able to order in the next day or two.

I'm assuming software 4 students is still the best place to get yourself a copy of Windows?

The wireless card you picked won't fit because its pci. The slots on the motherboard are pci express.

spix · 12-09-2012 4:02pm

Also if you look at a picture of the motherboard you will see the smaller pci slot is directly under the main pci-e 16x slot. This is where your graphics card goes so its going to block the slot where the wireless card 'should' go. You can still put smaller pci express cards in the bigger slots below though

... just so you don't panic when you get the parts thinking it wont fit!

Frisbee · 12-09-2012 4:08pm

Good call, I definitely would have panicked :pac:

Monotype · 12-09-2012 4:46pm

I was thinking of the 650ti, which should be better than the 7770, lower than the 7850 (looking at one chart, expectations are for it to be fairly equal) and hopefully cheaper.
Main thing is that there should be more cards out and you might have more options to fill the 7770-7850 gap.

spix · 12-09-2012 4:56pm

Monotype wrote: »

I was thinking of the 650ti, which should be better than the 7770, lower than the 7850 (looking at one chart, expectations are for it to be fairly equal) and hopefully cheaper.
Main thing is that there should be more cards out and you might have more options to fill the 7770-7850 gap.

Nvidia are never cheaper than amd price performance wise so if its a bit better than the 7770 (which I doubt as its meant to go against the 7750 afaik and that's half the speed of the 7850) then it would be priced at the 7850 mark while being slower. ~160 euro for the 7850 is a great deal imo.

You never know though... but personally I wouldn't hold my breath for the 650.

Monotype · 12-09-2012 5:09pm

Never cheaper? You haven't been monitoring the market long then! The GTX 460 was a fantastic value card which continuously plummeted in price from launch and maintained far superior value to what AMD offered in that range at the time.

There's a regular 650 which will be around the 7770 (going by rumours) and a 650ti and possibly a GTS 650, as well at the regular 660 so there's going to be quite a few cards to shift around things a bit.

They could be all a load of crap, but I think you're writing nVidia off far too soon unfairly.*

Edit: *Not soon at all because launch is only around the corner.

Eboggles · 12-09-2012 5:17pm

Monotype wrote: »

Never cheaper? You haven't been monitoring the market long then! The GTX 460 was a fantastic value card which continuously plummeted in price from launch and maintained far superior value to what AMD offered in that range at the time.

There's a regular 650 which will be around the 7770 (going by rumours) and a 650ti and possibly a GTS 650, as well at the regular 660 so there's going to be quite a few cards to shift around things a bit.

They could be all a load of crap, but I think you're writing nVidia off far too soon.

Far too soon? It's September, AMD released the HD7750/7770 over 7 months ago (I think) and Nvidia's cheapest GTX 600 series card is €289! Seriously, they need to get their act together and stop screwing us over. If Nvidia had released all their cards before June the GTX 650ti/650/whatever else would have competed with the HD7770/7750 very well I'd say, and as a result we wouldn't have a card (7770) that actually doesn't perform much better than the HD6850 which it replaced at the end of it's life yet costs about €10 cheaper after price cuts. Lets not forget this thing was released it cost more than a 6870. We might have seen the HD7770 for €90 by now and the HD7750 even cheaper.

I'm starting to think these companies are secretly in cahoots with each other and are just taking turns :mad:

Sorry for the rant

.

spix · 12-09-2012 5:21pm

Ah, didn't know about the 650 ti.. nvidia are making alot of cards this gen.

Going by current 680/670/660ti prices I'd expect the 660 to be at 225-250 mark, 650 ti 175-200 and 125-150 for the 650.

I don't think prices are going to drop much at all any time soon tbh even with these new card releases.

ps.. I'm not an amd fan boy as I pretty much always buy nvidia

Monotype · 12-09-2012 5:30pm

They've been in collaboration before about setting prices...

The 7770 was bad alright. Ridiculous prices on release - even when you expect release prices higher.

I'm only suggesting that someone who's playing a few non-demanding games and is looking at squeezing a bit more out of their budget should wait the few days until the release of the new cards. In fairness, a 7770 would run the games quoted here, but it's a big climb down from a 7850. A card in between is a fair consideration. Even if nVidia turn out to be overpriced and underpowered, we still see the reductions Eboggles' post on the hardware discussion thread are (supposedly) from the impact of the new cards.

tvercetti · 12-09-2012 7:31pm

Frisbee wrote: »

Item|Price
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Arc Mini, mATX|€74.27
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€197.08
ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, Sockel 1155, mATX|€81.38
Samsung SSD 830 128GB SATA 6GB's Paper Box|€94.86
8GB-Kit Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 CL9|€33.07
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€39.86
Sapphire HD 7870 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express|€213.93
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€753.44

How would the 3570k fit into this build. Is the 2500K a better option or just a quick way of saving a few quid.

Secondly is this 2500K an inferior processor to the one in the build.

spix · 12-09-2012 7:36pm

tvercetti wrote: »

How would the 3570k fit into this build. Is the 2500K a better option or just a quick way of saving a few quid.

Secondly is this 2500K an inferior processor to the one in the build.

The 3570k is a tiny tiny bit faster, but runs hotter. So if op want's to try overclocking and is keeping stock cooler, 2500k is the way to go.

The other 2500 you linked to is the non-k version which can't be overclocked, only difference.

tvercetti · 12-09-2012 10:02pm

spix wrote: »

The 3570k is a tiny tiny bit faster, but runs hotter. So if op want's to try overclocking and is keeping stock cooler, 2500k is the way to go.

The other 2500 you linked to is the non-k version which can't be overclocked, only difference.

Would the Merc Alpha be a suitable case if it was available?

Monotype · 12-09-2012 10:43pm

spix wrote: »

The other 2500 you linked to is the non-k version which can't be overclocked, only difference.

Not the only difference; the 2500 has crappier graphics in comparison the the 2500K.
(I'm not intentionally picking on your posts today, I'm just trying to fix the small discrepancies!)

tvercetti wrote: »

Would the Merc Alpha be a suitable case if it was available?

The one above is a smaller case. I actually haven't seen that one before as I thought it was this case, which would probably be better for soundproofing:
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/Mini/49191/FRACTAL+DESIGN+Gehäuse+Define+Mini.article
Is there soundproofing in the Arc? There must be something to justify the cost, but I haven't read any reviews.
The Fractal Design 1000 is a lot cheaper if you were after a small case but wanted to keep costs down.
http://lb.hardwareversand.de/Mini/49193/FRACTAL+DESIGN+Gehäuse+Core+1000+black.article

spix · 13-09-2012 10:40am

Monotype wrote: »

Not the only difference; the 2500 has crappier graphics in comparison the the 2500K.
(I'm not intentionally picking on your posts today, I'm just trying to fix the small discrepancies!)

true although not many will ever use the integrated graphics

spix · 13-09-2012 10:55am

tvercetti wrote: »

Would the Merc Alpha be a suitable case if it was available?

Are you looking for a micro atx build or is normal atx okay?

The core 1000 is a nice cheap matx case but doesn't even come with an exhaust fan and has limited room for graphics cards etc. I'd say the arc mini is the best matx case out there.

If you're okay with an atx case though, there is many other options. The bitfenix merc alpha is 'okay' but has pretty poor cooling.

~€800 Gaming Build

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