First time build for gaming

-( i )- Wicker

My old computer is quite outdated now, about 6 or 7 years old so I think its time I upgraded.

My current system not really upgradeable, the case is made to fit a mBTX board so I'll probably sell it and start fresh.

1. What is your budget? [€900]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Internet/Programming/Photoshop] (MW3/GTA4/Diablo3/Minecraft)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [250GB Hard drive]

5. Do you need a monitor? [No]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [n/a]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1440x900 HD-ready tv] [No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [No]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [I've never done it before but i'm willing to try it, though well within the safe limits]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [Within the next month hopefully]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Clare]

I have a rough idea of the build I want to go for but its a bit more than I'd like to spend. However I'd prefer to spend a little more to have a system that lasts longer.

Item|Price
Intel Core i5-3570K Box, LGA1155|€212.12
8GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz CL9|€43.70
Crucial M4 128GB SSD 6,4cm (2,5")|€111.29
BitFenix Shinobi Midi-Tower USB 3.0 black, ohne Netzteil|€55.00
Thermalright HR-02 Macho|€33.89
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 550W|€52.75
ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€90.77
Sapphire HD 7850 OC 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express|€228.32
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch|€85.44
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€17.50
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€949.77

Will what I've picked be compatible? Any better suggestions without increased costs, or suggestions to lower the cost?
Also, I've been reading around that the Ivy Bridge CPU's run 20 degrees hotter than Sandy Bridge when overclocked, should I opt for a 2550K instead?

Eboggles

Looks fine, but chances are that RAM isn't going to work with your CPU cooler as the heatspreaders on them are ridiculous.
Get these instead.

-( i )- Wicker

Thanks for the advice. Will the 1333MHz memory speed make much difference than 1600MHz sticks?

Eboggles

-( i )- Wicker wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. Will the 1333MHz memory speed make much difference than 1600MHz sticks?

Won't make an iota of difference .

bossa_nova

If your looking to save money you could forget about overclocking if your not to bothered about, the stock cooler you get with the CPU is fine if your not gonna OC so you'll save 30 quid on a cooler. I haven't really brushed up on the ivy bridges since they came out, but im sure someone could point you towards the unclockable i5 and a cheaper board. (if the ivy bridge has an i5-2400s equilivent, its about 20-30 euro cheaper than the clockable core )

daz801

If your gonna do it, do it right spend the extra 50

-( i )- Wicker

Yeah I think you're right, €50 isn't much to pay for 20-25% speed increase

-( i )- Wicker

Would it be more worth my while going with a 6870 rather than spending €60 more on a 7850 at my max res of 1440x900?

FlyingIrishMan

If you have the cash stick with the 7850.
You'll likely want to upgrade to a better monitor in the future and it will save you having to upgrade your GPU when you do do that.

-( i )- Wicker

I assembled the parts last night and everything seems to be working fine. I opted for a 560ti GTX gpu and a Samsung 830 ssd instead.

Now I'm thinking about trying a mild overclock. Can anyone refer me to a good guide for a first time overclocker? Preferably a guide for an ASRock board

Eboggles

-( i )- Wicker wrote: »

I opted for a 560ti GTX gpu

Why?

-( i )- Wicker

The 7850 was pushing the price of the build higher than I liked, so I was going to go with a 6870 OC card instead. Then I noticed a 560ti GTX for only slightly more than the 6870 and decided to go with that based on benchmarks:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/540?vs=547

Also I've been told that nvidia cards behave better with intel processors, AMD cards better with AMD processors, but i dont know how much truth there is in that.

Eboggles

Whatever floats your boat, I guess, but the GTX 560ti is a bit of a power hog.

That stuff about NVIDIA-Intel and AMD-AMD is pretty much garbage, but many people say it on the internet. I'd just go with whoever offers the best price/performance.

-( i )- Wicker

Hi guys. Not posted here in a long long time, but figured I'd revive this thread as I'm finally thinking about upgrading from my GTX 560 ti.

Was thinking of going for a GTX 1060, or maybe even a GTX 1070 ti. Currently trying to weigh up the cost/benefit difference.

Any thoughts? Any obvious bottlenecks visible from my build as per my original post?
I'm only a casual gamer so not looking to break the bank.

TerrorFirmer

What games are you playing? Something like the new BFV online, 3570K is a bad bottleneck, most other MP and single player games would be fine though (especially if you've an overclock it'll be fine for 90% of games).

An i7-3770 can be had for €100 2nd hand and is a big upgrade for games, well worth it, combined with a GTX1060 6GB or RX580 ideally, for running everything at high/ultra fairly well.

K.O.Kiki

-( i )- Wicker wrote: »

Hi guys. Not posted here in a long long time, but figured I'd revive this thread as I'm finally thinking about upgrading from my GTX 560 ti.

Was thinking of going for a GTX 1060, or maybe even a GTX 1070 ti. Currently trying to weigh up the cost/benefit difference.

Any thoughts? Any obvious bottlenecks visible from my build as per my original post?
I'm only a casual gamer so not looking to break the bank.

1070 Ti is about 40% faster than GTX 1060.

However, I noticed you're still running on a 1440x900 TV, so I'd suggest getting a monitor & RX 580 if you've the funds.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 580 8GB Red Dragon Video Card (£214.99 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: ViewSonic - VX2457-MHD 23.6" 1920x1080 75Hz Monitor (£119.00 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £333.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-05 19:56 BST+0100

Alternatively, pick up a GTX 970 on Adverts for 160-170euro and overclock it.

-( i )- Wicker

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm actually using a 1080p screen now so that's not an issue.

I've not overclocked the i5 yet, but if it'll prevent a bottleneck in the new GPU then I'll consider it.

I'm reluctant to pick up any parts second hand; would rather have the warranty and know it's not been overcooked previously.

finlaycm

I just replaced my 3570K with a 3770 non-K (I never overclocked anyway and besides you can do a mini overclock in the BIOS with one click) for about £70 and another 8 GB of RAM for about £30. It was a good choice PC much more user-friendly and my steam link actually works now. You might get 45e for the old 3570K if you find a buyer. Can't say I saw too much improvement in FPS though (outside of COV and Total war where CPU is needed for all the AI) but I also upgraded to a 2K ultrawide and my 780 Ti is not cutting it so I can't directly compare.
Long story short, if you get an i7 3770 you should be ok to use any GPU.

-( i )- Wicker

What was preventing the Steam Link from working with the 3570k?

It appears that my 560ti has died, so i'll be pushing ahead with this sooner rather than later.

I'm thinking I'll OC my 3570k to ~4Ghz if I can and go with either a GTX 1060 or RX 580.
If im needing a boost I might try a second hand i7 3770 like you suggested.


In terms of the GPU, is there much reason to go for the Radeon over Nvidia?
Any reviews I've seen of those 2 cards put them on a par, and the GTX 1060 6GB tends to be a bit cheaper from what I've seen so I'm leaning towards that. Guess Nvidia is just what I'm used to too.

K.O.Kiki

-( i )- Wicker wrote: »

What was preventing the Steam Link from working with the 3570k?

It appears that my 560ti has died, so i'll be pushing ahead with this sooner rather than later.

I'm thinking I'll OC my 3570k to ~4Ghz if I can and go with either a GTX 1060 or RX 580.
If im needing a boost I might try a second hand i7 3770 like you suggested.


In terms of the GPU, is there much reason to go for the Radeon over Nvidia?
Any reviews I've seen of those 2 cards put them on a par, and the GTX 1060 6GB tends to be a bit cheaper from what I've seen so I'm leaning towards that. Guess Nvidia is just what I'm used to too.

AMD cards do better in most DX12 titles, but there's very few of them so far.

They also have an extra 2Gb VRAM though tbh it doesn't matter much.

Nvidia's main advantage is that they use a lot less power (around 100W iirc)

-( i )- Wicker

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

AMD cards do better in most DX12 titles, but there's very few of them so far.

They also have an extra 2Gb VRAM though tbh it doesn't matter much.

Nvidia's main advantage is that they use a lot less power (around 100W iirc)

Thanks for the info. My PSU is 550W so the GTX might be the safer choice.