So looking to replace my Q6600 and was looking at an I5 2500K build. Just can't warrant the cost at the moment so I'm thinking of going for the below. Already have the PSU and Ati 6870 but I am hoping that this build will be quicker than my current, especially with the SSD. Budget is about 300 ish and I will be upgrading to Windows 7 from Vista in the near future as well. Any suggestions would be great.
Most people will tell you to pick up a crucial M4 SSD They do not have as fast writes but the reads are very similar. They are highly thought of as they have very few issues and crucials RMA is fantastic. The OCZ uses a sandforce controller which while very fast some people (not all) have issues of constant BSOD's. CPU wise if it is a simple budget choice then the i3 is a decent call but look for the 3.3ghz rated i3 2120 as it is usually the same price and is 200mhz faster. I would however if the build was for myself try and scrape that extra 40-50 for a i5 quad. You get the added bonus of 4 cores and turbo boost which the i3 doesn't have. The Ivybridge 3450 is about £140, depends how much that would push you over budget.
Ok will have a look at a Crucial M4 instead maybe something like this http://www.scan.co.uk/products/128gb-crucial-m4-new-slim-7mm-25-ssd-sata-iii-6gb-s-mlc-flash-read-500mb-s-write-175mb-s-35000-iops I'm assuming you are talking about this one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-3450s1155-ivy-bridge-quad-core-28ghz-5-gt-s-dmi-650mhz-gpu-6mb-smart-cache-31x-ratio-6 It would be a stretch as I really want a new case as well but as you say it may be worth it in the longer term.
I think he ment this one : http://www.scan.co.uk/products/inte...s-dmi-650mhz-gpu-6mb-smart-cache-31x-ratio-77 The "S" version are "low voltage" version. They consume less but are slower than the non "S" version
Excellent thanks for that, will bookmark that one for future reference. Still not sure if I can warrant the extra £££ but will have a bit of a calculate later today.
I am thinking that may be the way forward. I have got a birthday coming up in June as well so I might see what that brings... if someones feeling generous maybe a SSD I am also thinking of changing my case now maybe one of these http://www.ebuyer.com/233740-coolermaster-elite-430-all-black-interior-mid-tower-case-with-side-window-rc-430-kwn1 or one of these http://www.ebuyer.com/143854-antec-300-three-hundred-case-0761345-08300-3 The blue neon is putting me off the coolermaster to be honest but I am wondering which one will allow better cable management. Once again I have no real preference on cases so other suggestions are welcome.
Just thinking, does that mobo allow for overclocking? Im not entirely sure it does and even if you didnt drop in a K-series processor (the ones you can overclock) it is still a more future proofed mobo should you decide to drop in a i5-2500K or similar later on?
The problem is that I feel myself pushing my budget upwards and upwards and would rather not. I was looking at an AMD chip initially and only went I3 after doing some research. I am then pushing up to an I5. The main things I do are gaming and a little photo editing and thats about it. I may not even overclock (I haven't on my Q6600 and I've had that 5 years), people say its easy but its just not something I have considered in the past.
The way I did my build (potentially not the best way but in my opinion it was) was step by step. Using the market place here (which you can access at 75 sensible posts) to buy second hand on here is a great way to save money. The people on B-T are excellent and very honest. Secondly using scans today only and our free shipping we get for being part of bit-tech you can save a bucket! What are your current specs/what you already have and I will spec a system using some of what you have for roughly £300.
As ^^^^^ said . Maybe you could keep your current case and PSU at the begining and buy news one later. Those are the parts that won't change every time you'll get a new rig. What are your current RIG ? What do you play at and at which resolution ?
The i3 2100 or 2120 are both very good dual cores with Hyper Threading and pull their weight in multi-threaded apps/games. http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/...core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20
I run this pretty much this setup on my homeserver. works a treat doubles for games too(when needed). If i was using for my day-to-day i would I save the extra £50 for the i5.. but if i3 is all your need then its all you need..
Currently I'm running a Q6600 with 4GB of DDR2 Ram, a HD6870 and Be Quiet 530w PSU. I play BF3, Fallout 3 and Skyrim at 1920 x 1080 on a Benq 24" monitor. My case is old with poor airflow and my mobi is a basic Gigabyte. I'm not a fanatic gamer (I play 12 hours a week maximum).
This was the Ivy I would go for not the silly S version http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-core-i5-34501155-ivy-bridge-quad-core-31ghz-5-gt-s-dmi-650mhz-gpu-6mb-smart-cache-31x-ratio-77 I also wouldnt worry too much about smashing your budget to pieces with a K series cpu and then a z77 chipset motherboard tbh. Its nice but will easy add another 50-100 onto your build cost.
Keep your psu and case. (if it is able to power a q6600, then an i5 won't be a problem) Buy z77 or z68 based motherboard and an i5 2500k, and some fitting memory. Add the ssd later. Done
I actually run a Q6600 with a radeon HD5870 ... no issue playing games @ max setting. If you lacking money, wouldn't a SSD + GPU be a better option ? I'm pretty certain that a new CPU + SSD will give you a bigger boost in perf than keeping the 6870 and buying an i5 + SSD. Maybe I'm mistaking myself, but in gaming the CPU isn't as important as it was 10 years ago.
You may be right on this, I have thought about the SSD before but wasn't sure it would make that much difference. Would it be worth upgrading my motherboard to something that takes DDR3 rather than the DDR2 I am currently using? Not sure if that is actually a worthwhile purchase or not. I am loath to replace the 6870 at the moment as I have not had it long and it was a substanstal upgrade from my 4850.
I do understand ... I'll let other bit-techer answer you on this point as I'm still using DDR2. I upgrade only once every 5/6 years or so, it's always a huuuuuuuuuuuge jump for me . The i5 will give you a nice upgrade for number crunching, but about gaming .... I'm not sure it's worth it (maybe for strategy games like Shogun 2). You could alway go for the i5 and upgrade the GPU later ...
