Gaming build for €1,000

Benzino

Hey, I'm looking to build a new pc mainly for gaming for about €1,000. I posted here a few months ago, but decided to hold off in the end. But now I want to play Skyrim

1. What is your budget?
€1,000

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer?
Gaming, such as Battlefield 3, Skyrim, Rage

3. Do you need a copy of Windows?
No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer?
DVD drive (not sure of the brand as it's not next to be at the minute, but think it's a samsung).

5. Do you need a monitor?
No

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future?
Current monitor resolution is 1920 X 1080. It's a Flatron. I may buy another monitor next year and use both of them, but the intention would not be to play games across both.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]
No

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]
Yes

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]
Prefer Laser, but can use Credit card

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]
Within the next 1 or 2.

Here is what I am thinking so far:

Total build cost: €878.89 + €30 shipping
Palit Geforce GTX 570 Sonic Platinum, 1280MB, PCI-Express €304.28
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz CL9 €35.69
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155 €189.99
OCZ SSD 120GB SATA 2,5' Vertex 2 Extend. €146.99
Cooler Master Silent Pro Series - 600 Watt €84.65
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €117.29

So what I need is a case and possibly a cpu cooler (as I'll want to overclock the CPU if I can). I want the Pc to be too loud, so a good case may be required. I am waiting for the HDD prices to drop before getting one, hence why there is none in that build.

So any thoughts or suggestions? Is the Palit GFX good or would I be better going for the Asus version of the 570? Or is there a better processor out there for similar money.

Thanks

Eamonn Brophy

Benzino wrote: »

Hey, I'm looking to build a new pc mainly for gaming for about €1,000. I posted here a few months ago, but decided to hold off in the end. But now I want to play Skyrim

1. What is your budget?
€1,000

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer?
Gaming, such as Battlefield 3, Skyrim, Rage

3. Do you need a copy of Windows?
No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer?
DVD drive (not sure of the brand as it's not next to be at the minute, but think it's a samsung).

5. Do you need a monitor?
No

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future?
Current monitor resolution is 1920 X 1080. It's a Flatron. I may buy another monitor next year and use both of them, but the intention would not be to play games across both.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]
No

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]
Yes

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]
Prefer Laser, but can use Credit card

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]
Within the next 1 or 2.

Here is what I am thinking so far:

Total build cost: €878.89 + €30 shipping
Palit Geforce GTX 570 Sonic Platinum, 1280MB, PCI-Express €304.28
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz CL9 €35.69
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155 €189.99
OCZ SSD 120GB SATA 2,5' Vertex 2 Extend. €146.99
Cooler Master Silent Pro Series - 600 Watt €84.65
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €117.29

So what I need is a case and possibly a cpu cooler (as I'll want to overclock the CPU if I can). I want the Pc to be too loud, so a good case may be required. I am waiting for the HDD prices to drop before getting one, hence why there is none in that build.

So any thoughts or suggestions? Is the Palit GFX good or would I be better going for the Asus version of the 570? Or is there a better processor out there for similar money.

Thanks

Get the amazon 650 watt psu from super-flower, it's semi-modular has the 80+ stamp and cheaper (more o' dem wattz too)

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=24479&agid=1629

As for CPU cooler, go with noctua, all their coolers are amazing, if you're stuck for money, go with the 212 from cooler-master, but the noctua coolers are better and really quiet.

I'd swop that ssd for the crucial m4, heard some dodgey stories about ocz drives

As for a case, I love and reccoment NZXT. Their hades case is great, tons of **** you wont find in similairly priced cases and it looks good. If you want to go budget, merc alpha/beta cases are good from bitfenix.

I'd go for either of these though.

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=29472&agid=631

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=31307&agid=631

Eboggles

Benzino wrote: »

Hey, I'm looking to build a new pc mainly for gaming for about €1,000. I posted here a few months ago, but decided to hold off in the end. But now I want to play Skyrim

1. What is your budget?
€1,000

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer?
Gaming, such as Battlefield 3, Skyrim, Rage

3. Do you need a copy of Windows?
No

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer?
DVD drive (not sure of the brand as it's not next to be at the minute, but think it's a samsung).

5. Do you need a monitor?
No

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future?
Current monitor resolution is 1920 X 1080. It's a Flatron. I may buy another monitor next year and use both of them, but the intention would not be to play games across both.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]
No

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes/No]
Yes

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]
Prefer Laser, but can use Credit card

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]
Within the next 1 or 2.

Here is what I am thinking so far:

Total build cost: €878.89 + €30 shipping
Palit Geforce GTX 570 Sonic Platinum, 1280MB, PCI-Express €304.28
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz CL9 €35.69
Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155 €189.99
OCZ SSD 120GB SATA 2,5' Vertex 2 Extend. €146.99
Cooler Master Silent Pro Series - 600 Watt €84.65
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €117.29

So what I need is a case and possibly a cpu cooler (as I'll want to overclock the CPU if I can). I want the Pc to be too loud, so a good case may be required. I am waiting for the HDD prices to drop before getting one, hence why there is none in that build.

So any thoughts or suggestions? Is the Palit GFX good or would I be better going for the Asus version of the 570? Or is there a better processor out there for similar money.

Thanks

It's fairly good.:)

Changes: the ram has ridiculous heatspreaders, might get in the way of the cpu cooler. The crucial ssd is much more reliable, and an extra 8gb. The cooler is very good, nice and cool but on the large side. The 6970 is slightly better than the 570 and uses less power. The case I have myself and has great airflow. I have the 750 watt psu in there if you wanted to crossfire down the line but If you didnt want to you could drop the psu down to this. As it stands it's 30 euro over budget but still a very good build.

Total build cost: €1,006.62 + €30 shipping
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €28.40
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €174.29
Scythe Mugen 3, für alle Sockel geeignet €32.99
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €117.29
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155 €184.72
XFX PRO750W Core Edition Full Wired Power Supply €80.48
Sapphire HD 6970 Dual-Fan 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express €303.18
Corsair Carbide Series 400R, ATX, ohne Netzteil €85.27

Serephucus

Just because I'm a jerk:

http://www2.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=53127&agid=631

I prefer that case (I'm a silent freak), and I'd go for the 600W Silent Pro over the Amazon PSU any day. I don't know what it's like, but I know I love my M700, and can't hear it.

Benzino

Thanks for the feedback, a lot for me to think about haha. Going to research what you guys have suggested later tonight and update my build.

Interesting regarding the 6970, I picked the 570 because of this article. I'm going to have to research that card more.

Silly question this, but whats the difference between the Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155 and the Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155? Just the packaging (and price ofc )?

Eboggles

Benzino wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, a lot for me to think about haha. Going to research what you guys have suggested later tonight and update my build.

Interesting regarding the 6970, I picked the 570 because of this article. I'm going to have to research that card more.

Silly question this, but whats the difference between the Intel Core i5-2500K Box, LGA1155 and the Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155? Just the packaging (and price ofc )?

The box version has a stock fan but you wouldn't be needing one as I've thrown in an aftermarket cooler

Eamonn Brophy

Eboggles wrote: »

It's fairly good.:)

Changes: the ram has ridiculous heatspreaders, might get in the way of the cpu cooler. The crucial ssd is much more reliable, and an extra 8gb. The cooler is very good, nice and cool but on the large side. The 6970 is slightly better than the 570 and uses less power. The case I have myself and has great airflow. I have the 750 watt psu in there if you wanted to crossfire down the line but If you didnt want to you could drop the psu down to this. As it stands it's 30 euro over budget but still a very good build.

Total build cost: €1,006.62 + €30 shipping
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €28.40
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €174.29
Scythe Mugen 3, für alle Sockel geeignet €32.99
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €117.29
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155 €184.72
XFX PRO750W Core Edition Full Wired Power Supply €80.48
Sapphire HD 6970 Dual-Fan 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express €303.18
Corsair Carbide Series 400R, ATX, ohne Netzteil €85.27

This is fine, though overkill on the PSU and you could get a much better cpu cooler with the money you save on the psu. If you're overclocking a good cooler will keep heat down, allowing better overlocking.

Benzino

Eboggles wrote: »

The box version has a stock fan but you wouldn't be needing one as I've thrown in an aftermarket cooler

Ah I see, thanks. Now time for more researching haha!

Eboggles

Eamonn Brophy wrote: »

This is fine, though overkill on the PSU and you could get a much better cpu cooler with the money you save on the psu. If you're overclocking a good cooler will keep heat down, allowing better overlocking.

I do have the amazon 550 mentioned If he didn't want to cf:D

Eamonn Brophy

Eboggles wrote: »

I do have the amazon 550 mentioned If he didn't want to cf:D

I think even 650 should be enough for CF, might be wrong though

Eboggles

Eamonn Brophy wrote: »

Eboggles wrote: »

I do have the amazon 550 mentioned If he didn't want to cf:D

I think even 650 should be enough for CF, might be wrong though

I thought so Aswell but anandtech bench said otherwise!

Eamonn Brophy

Eboggles wrote: »

I thought so Aswell but anandtech bench said otherwise!

Welp, 750 watt it is then!

ShadowHearth

1000eu will biuld you a prety decent pc for skyrum. I Biult same spec pc as you mentioned few days ago.

Skyrum will work very well, but bf3 on ultra will be abut chopy. I can't believe that to max out bf3 you need such a monster... No funds for second 570 ATM...

I already see you go for gen 3 board which is very good. I would advice to invest more for psu too. Case mobo and psu wount be changed for ages, so you might aswell get proper stuff for future.

Benzino

Ok, so made a few changes, slightly over budget but I can live with that. Switched the SSD to a Crucial M4 based as you guys were saying it was more reliable. I've added the Cooler Master case suggested by Serephucus as I think it looks awesome! I've increased the PSU to an m700 as I may buy another 570 and go SLI down the line when I'm upgrading, plus I like the fact that it is quiet.

I have 2 outstanding questions. I'm still not sure whether to go with the 570 or the 6970, I see a few of you guys recommend the 6970? Also, I have added Corsair Hydro for cooling the CPU because I like the idea of having a somewhat quiet system. Is this worth the extra money or would I be better off with a fan?

Total build cost: €1,029.98 + €30 shipping
Palit Geforce GTX 570 Sonic Platinum, 1280MB, PCI-Express €304.28
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €28.40
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €117.29
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €174.29
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155 €184.72
Cooler Master Silencio 550 black, ohne Netzteil €71.39
Cooler Master Silent Pro Series - 700 Watt €94.42
Corsair Hydro Series H60 (Sockel 775/1156/1366/AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1) €55.19

Any feedback or suggestions would be great again By the way, I don't really mind if the system can't run BF3 at max settings, that's not the aim of this build. I just want to get back into pc gaming with a rig that will keep me going for a few years and has the ability to be upgraded without needing to replace anything. I want to play Skyrim the way it's meant to be played, on a PC, not a console

Eamonn Brophy

Benzino wrote: »

Ok, so made a few changes, slightly over budget but I can live with that. Switched the SSD to a Crucial M4 based as you guys were saying it was more reliable. I've added the Cooler Master case suggested by Serephucus as I think it looks awesome! I've increased the PSU to an m700 as I may buy another 570 and go SLI down the line when I'm upgrading, plus I like the fact that it is quiet.

I have 2 outstanding questions. I'm still not sure whether to go with the 570 or the 6970, I see a few of you guys recommend the 6970? Also, I have added Corsair Hydro for cooling the CPU because I like the idea of having a somewhat quiet system. Is this worth the extra money or would I be better off with a fan?

Total build cost: €1,029.98 + €30 shipping
Palit Geforce GTX 570 Sonic Platinum, 1280MB, PCI-Express €304.28
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €28.40
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €117.29
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €174.29
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155 €184.72
Cooler Master Silencio 550 black, ohne Netzteil €71.39
Cooler Master Silent Pro Series - 700 Watt €94.42
Corsair Hydro Series H60 (Sockel 775/1156/1366/AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1) €55.19

Any feedback or suggestions would be great again By the way, I don't really mind if the system can't run BF3 at max settings, that's not the aim of this build. I just want to get back into pc gaming with a rig that will keep me going for a few years and has the ability to be upgraded without needing to replace anything. I want to play Skyrim the way it's meant to be played, on a PC, not a console

Those corsair closed loop watercooling systems arent that great, they're quite overpriced and the rads take up lots of space. Get an air cooler for the same price and you'll get the same temps without a big rad in the case.

ShadowHearth

Benzino wrote: »

Ok, so made a few changes, slightly over budget but I can live with that. Switched the SSD to a Crucial M4 based as you guys were saying it was more reliable. I've added the Cooler Master case suggested by Serephucus as I think it looks awesome! I've increased the PSU to an m700 as I may buy another 570 and go SLI down the line when I'm upgrading, plus I like the fact that it is quiet.

I have 2 outstanding questions. I'm still not sure whether to go with the 570 or the 6970, I see a few of you guys recommend the 6970? Also, I have added Corsair Hydro for cooling the CPU because I like the idea of having a somewhat quiet system. Is this worth the extra money or would I be better off with a fan?

Total build cost: €1,029.98 + €30 shipping
Palit Geforce GTX 570 Sonic Platinum, 1280MB, PCI-Express €304.28
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9 €28.40
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Sockel 1155, ATX €117.29
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5") €174.29
Intel Core i5-2500K Tray, LGA1155 €184.72
Cooler Master Silencio 550 black, ohne Netzteil €71.39
Cooler Master Silent Pro Series - 700 Watt €94.42
Corsair Hydro Series H60 (Sockel 775/1156/1366/AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1) €55.19

Any feedback or suggestions would be great again By the way, I don't really mind if the system can't run BF3 at max settings, that's not the aim of this build. I just want to get back into pc gaming with a rig that will keep me going for a few years and has the ability to be upgraded without needing to replace anything. I want to play Skyrim the way it's meant to be played, on a PC, not a console

i was on 570 and 6970 boat too few days ago. 570 is very very similar in performance, but 570 is cheaper.

6970 has a wee bit more performance if you playing bigger ressolutions then 1920x1080.

i got 6870 in my old machne and i loved it, now i got nvidia 570, so i am not a fanboy of any side. i just took what was better bang for the money. in this case 570 as its cheaper and i play on 1920x1080.

corsair 500R is great case too. comes with 4 fans as standart, lots of space and looks very very cool.

Eamonn Brophy

ShadowHearth wrote: »

i was on 570 and 6970 boat too few days ago. 570 is very very similar in performance, but 570 is cheaper.

6970 has a wee bit more performance if you playing bigger ressolutions then 1920x1080.

i got 6870 in my old machne and i loved it, now i got nvidia 570, so i am not a fanboy of any side. i just took what was better bang for the money. in this case 570 as its cheaper and i play on 1920x1080.

corsair 500R is great case too. comes with 4 fans as standart, lots of space and looks very very cool.

You're better off going with Nvidia with cards with simiar specs due to ATI drivers leaving a lot to be desired.

ShadowHearth

Eamonn Brophy wrote: »

You're better off going with Nvidia with cards with simiar specs due to ATI drivers leaving a lot to be desired.

i already did... i biult system on thursday. 570 alive and kickin

Serephucus

Eamonn Brophy wrote: »

Those corsair closed loop watercooling systems arent that great, they're quite overpriced and the rads take up lots of space. Get an air cooler for the same price and you'll get the same temps without a big rad in the case.

They take up the same space as a fan...

If you're thinking SLI 570s, you may want to think about the M800. Not sure how much power they draw.

@Benzino, looks good to me. Happy gaming.

Eamonn Brophy

Serephucus wrote: »

They take up the same space as a fan...

If you're thinking SLI 570s, you may want to think about the M800. Not sure how much power they draw.

@Benzino, looks good to me. Happy gaming.

My main issue is for example the H60, it's mounted in the fan exhaust part of the case, it then uses that as a cool air intake to cool the rad and the liquid inside it. This means that the exhaust fan is no longer emplyed.

Sure your CPU might be nice and cool, but your voltage regulaters will get pretty ****in' toasty, along with the fact that without that exhaust, general air circulation in the case is worse for other components like RAM, graphics card, mobo and hdd's.

I just think for the price they're gimmicky, the temps in comparison to similarly priced air coolers are the same too or within about 5%. I think if people want to liquid cool, they should put in their own loop.

My two cents anyways!

Benzino

Thanks guys, really appreciate it

I'm happy with the build, just thinking whether to go with the water cooling kit or not. Also, might change my case, read a few reviews and it's getting average reviews.

Oh, just one last question, that build would be ok for 2 monitors yeah? At most, would be playing a game on one, with a browser or Visual Studio opened in the other. Max resolution of the monitors would be 1920 x 1080.

ShadowHearth

Benzino wrote: »

Thanks guys, really appreciate it

I'm happy with the build, just thinking whether to go with the water cooling kit or not. Also, might change my case, read a few reviews and it's getting average reviews.

Oh, just one last question, that build would be ok for 2 monitors yeah? At most, would be playing a game on one, with a browser or Visual Studio opened in the other. Max resolution of the monitors would be 1920 x 1080.

it will do allright.

i got 2x monitors myself. you will be able to play most games and have WMP on with south park or pron, what ever suits you bud.

Benzino

ShadowHearth wrote: »

it will do allright.

i got 2x monitors myself. you will be able to play most games and have WMP on with south park or pron, what ever suits you bud.

Haha, I like your style!

blatantrereg

I've a Frio cooler, which is very effective and very loud (though you can manually reduce the speed/volume).
I certainly think you would be best off getting a cooler. My build was similar and was running too hot without any overclocking at all while I was using the stock cooler.

I have an OCZ drive. I got bluescreens at a rate of about 1 per 24 hours runtime at first. However since I upgraded the firmware I have had no trouble at all. (Several hundred hours of runtime later)

I got an antec 300 case. Pros are that it is cheap, it is the smallest atx case I could find and I like the way it looks and it supports enough fans and IO ports etc. Cons are that the went in the top is a bit of a design flaw (dust will go into it if you leave it off and uncovered), I doubt it helps with noise reduction at all, assembly can be a bit fiddly because it's a small case that takes an atx board, and there isnt great support for cable management (you can't run the cables behind the panel where the motherboard is the way you can with some cases).

Eamonn Brophy

http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?agid=669&adp=0&aid=31818&basket.changed=1

This is the best air cooler money can buy IMO. the fans are silent as hell too.

ShadowHearth

Benzino wrote: »

Haha, I like your style!

Once you go 2xmonitors, you will newer go back!

It does not hit performance too. If you don't have anything on and play game it will just turn off second monitor or keep on pure 2d.

Benzino

Eamonn Brophy wrote: »

http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?agid=669&adp=0&aid=31818&basket.changed=1

This is the best air cooler money can buy IMO. the fans are silent as hell too.

I read up on that, and it certainly is the best on the market. However it is very big, would be concerned it might not fit into the case I or or the weight of it might damage the cpu or motherboard.

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Once you go 2xmonitors, you will newer go back!

It does not hit performance too. If you don't have anything on and play game it will just turn off second monitor or keep on pure 2d.

I do miss working off 2 monitors Now I just have to find a good monitor for gaming

Eboggles

This monitor is great for gaming, has hdmi, dvi and vga as well as tilt which can be helful if it's at a different level and low response times (2-5ms). And only 140 euro!

Benzino

Eboggles wrote: »

This monitor is great for gaming, has hdmi, dvi and vga as well as tilt which can be helful if it's at a different level and low response times (2-5ms). And only 140 euro!

That's a great find! Think I'll add that to my basket, thanks

ShadowHearth

i would better off waiting for something with Proper LED to be honest.

they are droping in price and they do look savage!

Benzino

ShadowHearth wrote: »

i would better off waiting for something with Proper LED to be honest.

they are droping in price and they do look savage!

I don't know much about monitors these days, so I'm going to have to read up on this LED thing :P I might hold off on getting a second monitor for now, and like you said wait a couple of months for the prices to drop a bit. I'm in no real hurry for a second monitor anyway.