Hey, I already have a good idea about which components I want to use but I am looking for input on any improvements I could make to the list which I will paste below. Budget: £500 Main uses of intended build: Gaming, multi-tasking Parts required: CPU, Motherboard, PSU, RAM Previous build information (list details of parts): Spare parts: Arctic cooling freezer 7 pro, Nvidia 8800GT, a generic case, 1TB Spinpoint Monitor resolution: 1280*1024 Storage requirements: none will you be overclocking: yes Any motherboard requirements (no. of USB, Xfire/SLI, fan headers): 1 16x and 1 4x minimum for PCIe Extra information about desired system: CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K Unlocked, S1155, Sandy Bridge, Quad Core, 3.3GHz, GPU 850Mhz... Motherboard: sus P8P67 Rev3, Intel P67, S1155, PCI-E 2.0 x16, DDR3 2200(OC), SATA 6Gb/s... PSU: Corsair 850W HX Modular PSU RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz CAS8 1.5V Non-ECC Unbuffered I will update the list with links and prices when I have time. Thanks, /Dante
That monitor resolution is pitiful to be blunt. Here's what I would get for the £500 basics and then some... MONITOR: LG IPS231P-BN - £143.30 [LINK] PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz Socket 1155 6MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor - £163.31 [LINK] CPU COOLER: Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced - £39.90 [LINK] MOTHERBOARD: MSI P67A-GD53 (B3) Intel P67 Express Socket 1155 Motherboard OC Genie II - £104.99 [LINK] MEMORY: Corsair Memory Vengeance Jet Black LP 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz CAS 9 XMP - £51.36 [LINK] If you're only going to be running a single GPU then the 530W Be Quiet PSU is a good option.
I agree with Blogins except that I would drop the 8GB of RAM, get 4GB Corsair Vengeance LP 1600MHz for £28 and get either the 530w Be Quiet PSU for £44.99, a 600w Corsair Builder Series V2 for £52.78 or a 520w Antec High Current Gamer for £55.18. If you need to drop the cost a little, forgo the LG IPS monitor and get a BenQ G2222HDL monitor for £104.65. Monitor - BenQ G2222HDL - £104.65 CPU - i5 2500K - £163.31 Cooler - Be Quiet! Dark Rock Advanced - £39.90 M/B - MSI P67A-GD53 - £104.99 RAM - Corsair Vengeance Jet Black LP 4GB DDR3 1600 MHz CAS 9 XMP - £28.94 PSU - 600W Corsair CMPSU-600CXv2 Builder Series - £52.78 Total = £494.57
Get an OEM 2500k, no stock cooler and about £10 cheaper. Unless you really want to overclock quite a lot an arctic cooler will be fine. I would choose to stick with 8GB of RAM. Not needed currently apart from select few programs but it will be in 3 years time. Any reputable 500W PSU. You really need a new screen and the LG suggested is a good option with the next step up being a dell U2311H. And the 8800 is being replaced?
Keep checking the today only at scan. They often have many of the items on offer (the processor is on offer now until Monday). And after 20 posts it's free delivery. The money you save could justify going over for the monitor or for a better graphics card.
Thanks for the reply, it's interesting that you suggested the MSI board even though you own the Asus board and it outperforms the MSI board in these benchmarks, why is this? I think it is likely that I will add a second GPU and so I may have to stick with the Antec 850W PSU. I'll have a look at both of those monitors. I was originally looking at these modules as they are a pound cheaper, what do you think? Thanks, /Dante
OEM is a good call, is the Dell U2311/H identical to the Dell U2711 except in size? I'm going to stick with the 8800 for now, but obviously it will need replacing quite soon, what price range should I be looking at for a graphics card to math this setup? Also, is there a reason you mentioned the H model specifically? I have had a look, and I found this and Intel Core i5 2500K Retail + 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance for £197.99(Can't seem to link to the deal). Which deal were you looking at? Thanks, /Dante
The ram listed by blogins and fingers66 although listed on today only with almost the same description are different. They have listed low profile sticks. The today only ones have heatsinks on and will most likely not fit if placed in slots 1 and 2. I've got xms3 ram that's on offer and have had no problems with it being too tall. All the bundles will have the products listed separately on in the list too, so you could get the i5 2500k today. If you only wanted 4gb or 4x2gb sticks of ram then you could get xms3 at 1.5V. And then check every day next week to see if anything else is cheaper.
No. The 27 is higher res 2560*1400 rather than 1080p. Also the 27 has an even better screen colour accuracy wise than the 23, but the 23 is much cheaper. The H is just the name. http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2311h.htm A cheaper option is this. Also an IPS panel rather than TN so significantly better quality. http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/lg_ips231p.htm As much money as you can find. The 2500k is the premium gaming CPU currently. At least £150 if you want a GPU which does the build justice. That is also why I recommended reusing the arctic cooler. The £30 saved from not getting a new cooler will be much more worthwhile being spent on GPU.
OK, I will keep checking, thanks for the advice. The Dell looks like a really nice monitor, I will just have to see if I can afford it. I really don't think I can afford a GPU like this right now but do you think this is a good choice? Thanks, /Dante Edit: I did reply to the first two replies in this thread but it said that my post needed to be reviewed by a moderator, hopefully I haven't accidentally posted it as a new thread.
The LG IPS231P-BN appears to use the same panel as the Dell U2311 and is cheaper... http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=209268&highlight=IPS231P Save money by buying the LG and you can! That is a well regarded GPU, might consider the ASUS GTX 560Ti DIRECTCU II as an alternative.
Sorry my reply hasn't appeared yet, I asked why you recommended the MSI board, since you own the Asus board? Thanks, /Dante
The 560ti is a good card. Just remember the ti suffix, there's a differance between the 560 and 560ti. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2011/01/25/nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-review/1 If budget is tight then saveing money with an LG screen and spending more on GPU may be a good option. It is slightly inferior I believe though. Look at the two reviews I linked.
The 560ti can be had for very little money! http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/...vidiagtx560tifermiseries/MSI/N560GTX-TF2.html I know its not hte OC version, but the cooelr is the same, so u might as well do the same and save the money!
Working within the £500 barebones budget! Also it's more motherboard for your money than the basic version of the ASUS P8P67. If you can then the Deluxe version really kicks ass, great fan control profiles as well.
Goodbytes will tell you that the LG panel is the same as the Dell but the backlight is different. This only matters if you do photo or video editing, not for gaming. Agree the MSI board is a better overclocker, so good pick.
Two screen maxs as it got to DVI ports. It could very easily run two screens. If you want a tri screen setup then go for the 6950.
