I was looking at the same kind of build with almost the exact same componentswith a 5770 but was wandering, i order to save money using the i3-530 though is it too cheap for this kind of system ie will it be a weak link?
Well, I'm not too sure about the case but PSU wise PC Power & cooling have never let me down (but they are quiet pricey) Also, have you considered changing your cpu cooler? I have an arctic freezer pro sitting on top of my q6600 and it seems to get very noisy! I've been looking to upgrade to something like the akasa freedom tower myself!
Noise is not really an issue for me, is the freedom tower a more effective cooler then in terms of temperatures?
I'm not too sure, I've been trying to find a comparison between the 2 but there doesn't seem to be one. However I suspect it will easily outperform the arctic freezer pro as it has a 12cm fan and a lot more fins =D
FearlessFred - the i3 shouldn't be a problem if it's overclocked. Overclocked i3 (I've heard of them running happily around 3.5GHz-4GHz) + 5770 GPU is a decent match for gaming on 20ish inch and below. The i3 is on a 32 nanometer process, so it very energy efficient. It also supports hyperthreading so you have 4 logical cores from 2 physical cores. The i5-750 has 4 physical cores, but no hyperthreading.
Arj12 will the freedom tower fit in the antec 300? and roosauce whats best - an i3 overclocked to around 4 Ghz and investing more elsewhere or an i5 overclocked?
As far as I can tell it should fit into the case but don't take my word for it! As for the i3 vs i5, I personally would choose the i5 as I have heard really good things about them but an i3 would be just as good. Mind you if you can stretch to it the i7 920 is probably your best friend!
Everything comes down to budget - the i5 is indeed better but an i3 is unlikely to be a major bottleneck for you. It sounds like your budget is tight, so I'd be tempted to do the overclocked i3 and try to get a better graphics card in there ... particularly if you're trying to get into 1080 gaming, which the 5770 just won't manage. The latest custom PC magazine has a good budget build using an i3 - if you pretty much follow that but are able to stump up for the Antec PSU and a 5850, then you'll have a capable and upgradeable gaming rig for 1080 gaming at around the £680 mark all in. That's my 2 cents anyway.
i want 1080p gaming but only older games like unreal tournament and empire/napolean total war, will the 5770 do? and again will the i3 do?
do you mean the original unreal? if so an old 1ghz celeron would run that! haha as for napoleon check out... http://www.buzz99.com/735/napoleon-total-war-system-requirements/
You'll have no problems with unreal tournament at all. Napoleon total war is pretty new - you'll be able to play it fine, just not with all of the eye candy turned on. Your bottleneck will be graphics not the i3.
In case you missed it, useful stuff on o/c the i3 here and here. If you do go down this route, I'd be interested to hear how you get on - or anyone else for that matter.
Also the bit-tech review on the 5770 here. There is variance in different games, but the 5770 performance sits around the same as the 4870 and GTX260/275 in current titles. There's also a full run-down on all of the major DX11 cards in the latest custom PC mag.
nice I'll be sure to check that out, I think I'll go for the i5 as I can adjust my graphics budget later
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...+LGA1156)+Processor+-+Retail+?productId=37674 i5-750 for a measly £135! more money for ur gpu now
