Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Gaming Build for 3 - 4 years

Options
  • 22-10-2012 1:23pm
    #1
    farna_boy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,766 ✭✭✭


    Hey all,

    Thinking of doing a major upgrade to my system, but will only be replacing motherboard, CPU, RAM. The thing is I don't plan on changing these core components for another 3 - 4 years so I want to get as much as possible from what ever I buy now, but I don't want to waste money on features I will never use. ( I will of course be upgrading other components in these 3 - 4 years, so you need not worry about other weak spots that might be in my current build).So to answer the questions:

    1. What is your budget? €450 - Whatever I need to spend

    2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Purely Gaming for the next few years

    3. Do you need a copy of Windows? No

    4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Yes:
    Hyper 212 EVO
    2 x Sapphire Raedon 5770
    180 GB Intel 330 SSD
    250 GB Hard Drive
    750 GB RAID 1 Drive
    Corsair 500R
    600W OCZ Stealth Xtreme
    plus

    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? 1920 x 1080

    6. Do you need any of these peripherals? No

    7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Yes

    8. How can you pay? [Credit card, paypal, laser, cash]

    9. When are you purchasing? Soon

    10. If you need help building it, where are you based? n/a

    I have been doing some looking around and these are the components I have come up with so far:

    CPU: Intel 3570K €215
    Mobo: ASUS P8Z77-V €175
    RAM: CORSAIR 2 x 4 GB DDR3-1600 - Vengeance €40

    Total: €430

    Now, I am reasonably happy that the CPU is the one to go for in gaming right now. From what I can tell, it is predicted that Haswell will only have approx 10% gains, but will be lower on power and heat which would be useful for overclocking but I am unsure whether or not it will be worth waiting for (although I am leaning towards no).
    The alternative would probably be the 3770K, but none of the current games (or upcoming games, as far as I can tell), use HyperThreading so I don't think I would gain much by buying that.
    As for an LGA2011 CPU, I think I may be throwing my money away, but I am open to correction.

    The motherboard is probably what I am most unsure of. I don't need WIFI or Bluetooth so in that respect I am happy. The board I have picked should be a good overclocker as well and has some good features. The one thing I am considering is whether I should spend more here and get a board that is capable of x16/x16 crossfire or SLI. There are a few Z77 boards that are capable of this i.e. the , the Asrock Extreme 9 or the Asus P8Z77 - WS, but these all come at a large premium that I am unsure will be of long term value.

    Although I said in the questions section that my budget is around €450, I will be probably be able to increase that significantly around March i.e. when Haswell is due. Would I be better off waiting for then or with the minor improvements that are reported for Haswell, will it really make a difference.
    The second main question is in terms of gaming only, are the premium boards that I have outlined really worth it? Should I consider paying that much extra for extra PCI-E lines? I know that x8/x8 usually only means less than 5% drop, but in terms of maximising the ability to upgrade, is the premium worth it?

    Thanks for all your help. All comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


Advertisement