New build advice

Darwin

Hi all, I used to build my own PCs for years but am at the stage now where I'm happy to buy mostly pre-built. So I'm on the lookout for a smallish form factor case and the Corsair Obsidan 350D seems to fit the bill very nicely.
I'm looking to buy case and components only to hook up to an existing 120Hz monitor and 3D Vision setup. I have pretty much narrowed my choice down to the following build from Scan UK which can be customised:

http://3xs.scan.co.uk/ConfigureSystem.asp?SystemID=1599

Any advice on the following welcome:

1) GPU: As I mentioned I will be gaming mostly using 3D Vision, but also plan to run non-3D games such as Arma 3 and perhaps Flight Simulator X. Would I be better off with 2 x 770GTX in SLI or a single 780gtx? I don't plan to replace my monitor any time soon.

2) Motherboard: Keeping the SLI option open, I'm looking at the
Gigabyte GA-Z87-G1.Sniper M5 motherboard over the Asus MAXIMUS VI GENE (I've read SLI is a tight fit with the Asus). Sound ok?

3) CPU: I take it there is no reason to prefer the more expensive i7 4770K over a i5 4670K given that the PC will just be used for gaming.

4) Soundcard: Thinking of a Soundblaster Z. I have a 5.1 speaker setup to power and this seems reasonable value for money at £50 or so.

Thanks in advance.

Redfox25

It looks like a nice system but I think you could build a beast of a system for less. Depends on what you want to do. You may have to install the gpu and cooler from some suppliers anyways.
There are a few builds here and the lads will surely suggest something.

SterlingArcher

In regards to the graphics setup.

2 gtx 770 in sli will perform better than a gtx780.

And example for you with Arma3.The difference will be the sli 770 giving about 20 fps more than the 780 On ultra settings.


But opting for sli would mean a bigger power supply.

Darwin

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to go the self-build route, it's slightly cheaper and sure I have the bank holiday weekend coming up to assemble it. I'm going with the following:

Case: Corsair 350D
Mobo: Gigabyte Sniper M5
PSU: Corsair 850W modular
CPU: I5-4670K
Cooler: Corsair H80i
Gfx: Single 770GTX for now
RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance 2133Mhz
Storage: Samsung 840 120GB SSD, Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD

Comes in around €1400 with components sourced between dabs.ie and amazon uk.

SterlingArcher

Darwin wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to go the self-build route, it's slightly cheaper and sure I have the bank holiday weekend coming up to assemble it. I'm going with the following:

Case: Corsair 350D
Mobo: Gigabyte Sniper M5
PSU: Corsair 850W modular
CPU: I5-4670K
Cooler: Corsair H80i
Gfx: Single 770GTX for now
RAM: 8GB Corsair Vengeance 2133Mhz
Storage: Samsung 840 120GB SSD, Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD

Comes in around €1400 with components sourced between dabs.ie and amazon uk.

Single gtx770 will serve you well and run on very high settings arma3 ( no real difference from very high and ultra in arma3)


Oh just a heads up in case.. arma 3 is 40 euro in gamestop, 45 on steam.

Good luck with the build.

Darwin

Cheers! I have Arma 3 already (signed up to get the original Alpha build @ €25!). Bit nervous about putting the system together, installing the CPU cooler and tidy cable routing is not my expertise but I'll give it a lash!

Redfox25

Maybe have a peek at this site for parts.
Might well work out cheaper than Dabs. Will take bit longer is the only snag.

http://www.hardwareversand.de

They even have a configurator built into the site which is a nice tool.

And maybe stick in a 2TB HDD, 1 fills up so fast.....

Darwin

Thanks but pulled the trigger already I got everything from amazon in the end as the case was out of stock in dabs. Made a last minute change from the H80i as it looks a very tight fit in the 350D. I upgraded to the H100i and will set up the radiator/fans in the roof of the case. No doubt I'll be back here when I make a bags of putting it together!