Help speccing new Gaming PC Build

_HULK_SMASH!

Hey everyone, I'm so glad this Forum is here because I need a New PC and I can only imagine how many mistakes I would make if left to my own devices regarding spec.

My Budget will be about 800 - 1000 Euro, probably leaning towards 800 but im willing to stretch further if you think its worth it..

It will exclusively used for Racing Sims and First Person Shooters. I will want to run RFACTOR 1 and the upcoming 2, GTR Evolution, GTR 2 and some future sims if released. FPS like Crysis etc.. My current PC was bought in 2004 so you can imagine how bad it is... It will run RFACTOR ok but really need something that will run full grids, full eye candy and really good frames per second.

I had to replace the hard drive with a new one a couple of months ago so I was going to reformat it and use it in the new build, I already have keyboard, mouse, Steering Wheel etc and windows 7 so I wont need those...

Im in 2 minds about a monitor, I'm using a 26" Samsung HD Ready television at the moment, with PC input, it is 720P, will it be necessary to buy a new monitor also? will a good Monitor REALLY make that much difference?

Is there any more information you might need?

Thanks in Advance.

Clive.

Monotype

720p = 1280×720 = 921,600 pixels
1080p = 1920x1080 = 2,073,600 pixels

So double the number of pixels. Yeah, it will look a lot better but you could always stick with your tv for a while and see how if you'd like an upgrade. If you're sitting a bit away from the screen, you won't see the detail difference so much, but it will be a lot more noticeable close up.

Higher resolution also means that you need a more powerful system to drive it. A new 27'' screen could cut a good €300 out of your budget but you'd afford a decent system to support full HD resolution.


Do you need windows?

_HULK_SMASH!

I can get 64 bit version of Windows 7 so all ok there, I like the Idea of spending all on the system and buying the new Monitor later, Money is a bit tight at the moment..

Monotype

How about something like...

Total build cost: €788.65 + €30 shipping
ASRock Z68 Pro3 (B3), Sockel 1155, ATX|€92.81
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€52.04
8GB-Kit GEIL Value PC3-10667 DDR3-1333 CL9|€37.49
LiteOn iHAS122-18 schwarz SATA|€16.92
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155|€183.70
BitFenix Merc Alpha|€33.50
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1000GB, SATA II (HD103SJ)|€47.24
Scythe Mugen 3, für alle Sockel geeignet|€33.88
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€164.28
Sapphire HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 PCI-Express|€126.79

That's from hardwareversand.de, one of the cheapest place for components. Note that they only take bank transfer for payment as credit cards aren't as popular as they are here. They'll take paypal for an extra 3% though.

That's a powerful system for your current needs. The graphics card is one of the weaker parts though. It will very easily handle any 720p at probably maximum detail but at 1080p, you'd need to turn down the detail. The graphics card market is one of the fastest moving in PC components so if it's 6 months+ before you get another monitor, you might be as well off saving money now towards a new one then. All other components should hold up a bit better. The CPU is well above current needs and the PSU will handle most cards except the very high end ones. If you think that you could be upgrading the monitor before then, a bit more power like 6870/6950/6970 or 560ti/570 (+ up to about €150) would be suitable.

I've put a substantial SSD in there which will give the opportunity to run some of the games from it with fast loading times and a fast hard drive for the rest. If you think that more space would be preferable to the faster hard drive, you could get a 2TB green drive.
http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=46255

tuxy

Monotype wrote: »

That's a powerful system for your current needs. The graphics card is one of the weaker parts though. It will very easily handle any 720p at probably maximum detail but at 1080p, you'd need to turn down the detail.

DO you think that card would handle battlefield 3 at 720p with high detail?
Seems like a bargin for the price if it does.

_HULK_SMASH!

That system looks real nice, I think i'll go for that, I like the Idea of the SSD and a 1T HDD is fine for storage, I think I'll go for a slightly better Card, can you recommend a good 6950 Card? And will the PSU be ok for that card also?

Thanks again for all the help

Monotype

tuxy wrote: »

DO you think that card would handle battlefield 3 at 720p with high detail?
Seems like a bargin for the price if it does.

A 6870 will handle BF3 at 1080p high detail but you'll need a 6950 for very high + 1080p.

A 6870 is maybe 10% better than a 6850 but at half the resolution (720p vs 1080p), I'd say you could have everything up to the maximum. To be absolutely sure, we'd really need some more tests and reviews on the game. It will definitely look better than the consoles.

_HULK_SMASH! wrote: »

That system looks real nice, I think i'll go for that, I like the Idea of the SSD and a 1T HDD is fine for storage, I think I'll go for a slightly better Card, can you recommend a good 6950 Card? And will the PSU be ok for that card also?

Thanks again for all the help

For 1080p, you'd need the 6950 for high detail. nVidia's equivalent, the 560ti (not 560) is nearly as good and priced a bit better at the moment. If you want plenty of room, you could get a 570 or 6970. You won't need more than that unless you go 3D or multiple screens.