PC performance/budget build

[Mooler Caster]

Hi, all I'm new here.

So I've been recently doing research as to build my own rig as I think it would be a personal achievemnt to chuck from my bucket list ;p

The main components are

i5 3470
AsRock Z77 Extreme 4
Sapphire HD 7770
Western Digital Caviar Blue
Corsair XMS 2x4GB
CX 600w PSU
Bitfenix Case

What will this PC be used for?
Mostly I want to be able to play modern games like BF3 and guild wars 2 on highest possible settings on a budget...

I got some questions I need to make as I haven't found answers yet ;p
I was thinking of using the MSI Z77MA-G45 as it is cheper than the AsRock... what are the differences apart that it is an Matx mobo? Does it handle corssfire as well. I would like something that would allow me to go crossfire in the future.
Also is HD 7770 enough for my intended use.

Also I was thinking, Should I not opt for a Z77 mobo if I do not plan overclocking?.. What else would I be loosing if I do not opt for a Z77 mobo.

Thanks, Hoping to hear from anyone

 

[Josh Weston]

If I may, what's your total budget?

 

[Mooler Caster]

Well I plan on buying from a UK site. I do not know if i can mention it here..
They will charge me for shipping as I am not from the UK.

so a Max of 600UK pounds is the budget.. the lower the better ;p I'm still a student.
Also I wont be buying an SSD immediately but that will be a future upgrade

 

[Feronix]

If you do not plan on overclocking, you can have a look at an H77 board, they are usually cheaper than Z77 (the CPU you have chosen is not intended for overclocking anyway). I'd suggest a regular ATX mainboard though.

Also, the HD 7770 is a great GPU for the price, but if you want to run BF3 at high settings I would recommend something like a 7850 (good bang for the buck card) or the GTX 660 (or even a 660 Ti, if your budget allows it)

As for RAM I don't think the price between XMS and Vengeance matters much, so I'd personally go with a 1600 MHz or 1866 MHz (Cas (CL) 9) kit. RAM is dirt cheap anyway, nowadays :lol:

Great choice of hard drive! WD is the brand to go for when it comes down to HDD reliabilty and speed. Same for the Corsair power supply, but if your budget allows it, grab a modular one (no OCZ though, they suck) as it will greatly reduce cable clutter.

Assuming you're going with the Bitfenix Shinobi case, great choice! IMHO it's one of the best cases on the market at that price point. I've done a build in it myself and I absolutely love it.
Little tip: You can spray paint the mesh yourself rather easily, allowing you to use colours that Bitfenix themself don't sell. You can then also paint the top piece of mesh that you cannot buy in different colours.

 

[Mooler Caster]

Hey thanks for the replies mate.
Just saw:
Kingston HyperX Beast 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX16C9T3K2/8X) [KHX16C9T3K2/8X] and they look BOSS ;p for just 35pounds...

Re: the H77 will it take an i5 ivybridge like my 3470...
I am taking a look at the Asus P8H77-V Intel H77..and although crossfire is listed the PCI's are listed like this:
Graphics
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slot
1*PCIe 2.0 x16 slot (@x4)

Does it mean that I wont be able to crossfire with 2PCI 3.0 like with a Z77 mobo..
I might be able to to stretch for a 7850...

 

[Feronix]

Hey thanks for the replies mate.
Just saw:
Kingston HyperX Beast 8GB (2x4GB) PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX16C9T3K2/8X) [KHX16C9T3K2/8X] and they look BOSS ;p for just 35pounds...

Re: the H77 will it take an i5 ivybridge like my 3470...
I am taking a look at the Asus P8H77-V Intel H77..and although crossfire is listed the PCI's are listed like this:
Graphics
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slot
1*PCIe 2.0 x16 slot (@x4)

Does it mean that I wont be able to crossfire with 2PCI 3.0 like with a Z77 mobo..
I might be able to to stretch for a 7850...

Kingston is a good brand, I'd say go with that as the timings are good enough for your build

Z77, H77 and Z75 will all work wil Ivy Bridge. Even The older Z68 or P67 board would work, but you might need a bios update.

Having one PCI-E 3.0 and one 2.0 slot, means that once you go crossfire, they would both run at 2.0 speeds. Honestly, I don't think that a graphics card like that would even max out the 2.0 speeds so you should be fine, but if you feel more comfortable buying a board with 2 PCI-E 16x 3.0 lanes, go for it!

 

[KR_king]

I share the opinion that if you aren't OC'ing you go for a H77 board and with the money left from that you should be able to buy a HD 7850.

I Recommended a friend of mine that card and it is a BEAST such a small card and such great performance!

Re: the H77 will it take an i5 ivybridge like my 3470...
I am taking a look at the Asus P8H77-V Intel H77..and although crossfire is listed the PCI's are listed like this:
Graphics
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slot
1*PCIe 2.0 x16 slot (@x4)

Does it mean that I wont be able to crossfire with 2PCI 3.0 like with a Z77 mobo..
I might be able to to stretch for a 7850...

You will be able to crossfire but the PCIe speeds will be 2.0 x16 and 2.0 x4, if I 'm correct.

 

[Mooler Caster]

thanks mate.
Do HZZ boards with dual pci 3.0 below 100pounds exist ;p ..

Till now if I squeeze a 7850 in the build, I would be at 603pounds just at my max budget. And I believe I would be able to handle games at high settings.
Also if a graphics card is listed as crossfirex ready does it mean it has a crossfirefinger on top, as at the current card im looking at the top of the card isn't shown.

thanks for the promt answers all of you.

Also re: the bitfenix case.. I plan to do my own window modding

 

[Feronix]

thanks mate.
Do HZZ boards with dual pci 3.0 below 100pounds exist ;p ..

Till now if I squeeze a 7850 in the build, I would be at 603pounds just at my max budget. And I believe I would be able to handle games at high settings.
Also if a graphics card is listed as crossfirex ready does it mean it has a crossfirefinger on top, as at the current card im looking at the top of the card isn't shown.

thanks for the promt answers all of you.

Also re: the bitfenix case.. I plan to do my own window modding

Gigabyte GA-H77-D3H
It's not the prettiest, but I think this might be best for your budget.

Yeah, CrossFireX ready means that it can run in CrossFireX
The reason that they say ready and not just CrossFireX is because people would assume they get 2 cards for that price to run CrossFireX :lol:

 

[Mooler Caster]

thanks I'll give it a look
I prefer performance over looks but If system looks like a Boss its always better right ;p
its like that NOS sticker on the windshield adding that extra 10Bhp lool

 

[KR_king]

As far as I know all 7770 are crossfire capable.
About the motherboard, I'm looking but i'm not sure if there are any x16/x8, x8/x8 H77 Boards.
You might be able to find a sub 100pounds Z68 board. But you probably will have to do a bios update.

 

[Feronix]

thanks I'll give it a look
I prefer performance over looks but If system looks like a Boss its always better right ;p
its like that NOS sticker on the windshield adding that extra 10Bhp lool

True mate, I really agree. But I'm going to be honest and say that with budget gaming computers you can't really go with an epic colour scheme cause you'll either end up spending too much for hardware you don't need, or staying within your budget but get slower hardware than you could have

But hey, once you get more money, you can always swap out/ upgrade components (it's addictive lol)

 

[Mooler Caster]

As far as I know all 7770 are crossfire capable.
About the motherboard, I'm looking but i'm not sure if there are any x16/x8, x8/x8 H77 Boards.
You might be able to find a sub 100pounds Z68 board. But you probably will have to do a bios update.

The cheapest MSI HD7770 does not suppost Xfire as Thats what I was setting my mind to buy.

 

[Mooler Caster]

True mate, I really agree. But I'm going to be honest and say that with budget gaming computers you can't really go with an epic colour scheme cause you'll either end up spending too much for hardware you don't need, or staying within your budget but get slower hardware than you could have

But hey, once you get more money, you can always swap out/ upgrade components (it's addictive lol)

Hehehe yeps seems like only Z77 look epic to me ;p and I dont wanna switch AMD for many reviewsI heard...

Looking at that GA h77 board... IF I ever feel the need in the future to go crossfire how would they operate.. 2PCI 3.0 at 8x?

 

[Feronix]

Hehehe yeps seems like only Z77 look epic to me ;p and I dont wanna switch AMD for many reviewsI heard...

Looking at that GA h77 board... IF I ever feel the need in the future to go crossfire how would they operate.. 2PCI 3.0 at 8x?

Probably yes, however 8x at PCI-E 3.0 is just as quick as 16x at PCI-E 2.0 speeds and your cards won't be able to max that out

I'd stick with Intel for now mate, they offer more performance and you'll always have the choice to upgrade to an i7 or something. With an AMD of that price, you already have pretty much their fastest CPU that they have on the market atm and there's no option to upgrade.

Btw, you can use multi-quote (quote more posts in 1 reply) by clicking the '',, button on the first post and then the regular Quote button on the second. This way you don't have to post twice

 

[KR_king]

The cheapest MSI HD7770 does not suppost Xfire as Thats what I was setting my mind to buy.

Sapphire has one that isn't that expensive this one ( at least in Belgium) and it support CorssfireX and has an aftermarket cooler, but i still recommend going with a 7850.

 

[Mooler Caster]

Probably yes, however 8x at PCI-E 3.0 is just as quick as 16x at PCI-E 2.0 speeds and your cards won't be able to max that out

I'd stick with Intel for now mate, they offer more performance and you'll always have the choice to upgrade to an i7 or something. With an AMD of that price, you already have pretty much their fastest CPU that they have on the market atm and there's no option to upgrade.

Btw, you can use multi-quote (quote more posts in 1 reply) by clicking the '',, button on the first post and then the regular Quote button on the second. This way you don't have to post twice

I've never been to a forum before ;p
SO with your help seems like I've made a decision for now about the build. It will be the following:

GAH77-D3H
i5-3470 (IVY)
MSI HD 7850
CX 600W PSU
WD BLUE 500GB
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (Changed to these ;p)
A regular cd 24x drive
and a bitfenix shinobi..

TOTAL 574pounds Excluding shipping INC VAT at 20%

Any criticism is appreciated ;p
Just one last question ;p I can use an SSD in the future right?

 

[KR_king]

Looks pretty good to me.
And yes you will be able to use an SSD in the future ether to cache or if you buy one that's big enough as a boot drive.

 

[Feronix]

I've never been to a forum before ;p
SO with your help seems like I've made a decision for now about the build. It will be the following:

GAH77-D3H
i5-3470 (IVY)
MSI HD 7850
CX 600W PSU
WD BLUE 500GB
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (Changed to these ;p)
A regular cd 24x drive
and a bitfenix shinobi..

TOTAL 574pounds Excluding shipping INC VAT at 20%

Any criticism is appreciated ;p
Just one last question ;p I can use an SSD in the future right?

That's okay, I was just letting you know

Seems like a pretty good set-up, only thing I'd personally change is spend a tad more and go for a (Hybrid) modular power supply to reduce cable clutter

And yes, you can just throw in an SSD later, though you will have to re-install Windows (but you can keep your files on the Caviar Blue, so you won't lose anything).

 

[Mooler Caster]

Probably yes, however 8x at PCI-E 3.0 is just as quick as 16x at PCI-E 2.0 speeds and your cards won't be able to max that out

I'd stick with Intel for now mate, they offer more performance and you'll always have the choice to upgrade to an i7 or something. With an AMD of that price, you already have pretty much their fastest CPU that they have on the market atm and there's no option to upgrade.

Btw, you can use multi-quote (quote more posts in 1 reply) by clicking the '',, button on the first post and then the regular Quote button on the second. This way you don't have to post twice

For the same exact price of Corsair cx600 is the cx600M its not been released yet i think though.