New Performance PC Build Recommendations

Drifta on 16/02/2013 - 20:39

Hey Guys,

I am hoping to get a few recommendations for building a performance PC. I know theres a lot of info out there for gaming PC's with the latest graphics cards etc and i can always mix and match.

However what do people recommend for building a <$800 PC thats aimed at getting your everyday things done really fast without system slowing down and your typical issues.

Its been a while since I've built a PC (last one was nearly 5 yrs ago) and haven't kept an eye on the latest trends.

My rough feelings at this point are a top end i5 processor with 8gb 1667Hz ram a 128gb ssd with an extra 2TB 7200rpm HDD an overclock able MB but need some specific recommendations in terms of products.

I was also considering getting this larger drive next time its on special http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/85502

EDIT: would'nt mind being able to do the occasional gaming / entertainment (watching movies etc)
also could someone recommend any good cheap speaker setup - mine are wrecked

anyways. fire away!

Computing

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 17/02/2013 - 00:26
    +2

    'Occasional' gaming build / general PC

    CPU i5-3570K $228
    MB ASROCK B75-PRO3-M $69
    RAM 8G Kit 1600 G.Skill Ares $58

    GPU 1Gb 7770 MSI $117
    HDD Hitachi Deskstar 7400RPM 2TB $99
    SSD Samsung 840 Series SATA3 120G $99

    CASE + PSU Thermaltake V4 USB3.0 $75
    Comes with Thermaltake Litepower (450w)

    SUBTOTAL $746
    +Windows 8 or 7 license another $100

    • Drifta on 17/02/2013 - 23:38

      Thanks for the details and prices. I don't need an OS, I can just use my current windows 7 OS. Instead I was thinking of upgrading to a better Case/PSU - any recommendations?
      also did u get the prices from a particular store (MSY) or mix&match?

      THe MB seems a little on the lower end - should i invest more in it, allowing to upgrade the PC down the line if required. over the course of the years I probably will add a few more internal HDD's as well

      • scrimshaw on 18/02/2013 - 00:52
        +1

        OK I made a mistake, I meant to type ASRock Z77 Pro3 Intel but ended putting in the former. Was completely forgetting you were going to OC.

        It costs $108
        http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/pro3-asrock-pro3-intel-m…

        You will need a Z77 mainboard if you are overclocking, the B75 chipsets do not allow OC of K unlocked processors.

        In terms of upgrading the CPU down the line, that is unfortunately impossible because the next Intel processor (HASWELL) will be on an entirely different LGA socket.

        • Drifta on 18/02/2013 - 16:42

          Alright thank you for letting me know.

          I will just stick to those parts. I was thinking of getting a slightly better PSU/case combo though, I personally don't like that case, and was thinking if i get a higher gfx card It would be good to have a slightly more powerful PSU. Though will stick to the Z77 MB you mentioned

        • scrimshaw on 18/02/2013 - 17:00
          +1

          You could consider the http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=10237 for slightly more however coolermaster case/psu combos usually don't integrate Coolermaster PSU's, they're usually a third party brand.

          If you can spend more, I recommend getting a case and PSU seperately instead of a bundle.

          Example
          Coolermaster RC380 USB 3.0 /w side window $53
          http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=10122

          Corsair VS550 PSU $65
          http://www.msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=9908

          Total $118.

          It's significantly more expensive than a combo, but well worth it.
          This will net you a fairly decent case and a 3yr warranty PSU that's powerful enough for gamer cards like HD7950.

        • Drifta on 18/02/2013 - 17:57

          Yes the separate choices seem to be much better, i think its worth paying the extra amount for a slightly more powerful PSU to let me use the higher end gfx cards.

          Cheers scrimshaw for all your help!

  • tonyjzx on 17/02/2013 - 00:51
    +2

    7770 isnt gonna cut the cheese

    7850 minimum and more like 7950 really

    • AlexD on 18/02/2013 - 19:04
      +1

      7870 seems to be the sweet spot price-performance wise right now.
      Looking at the PassMark GPU benchmarks (http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html), the 7770 achieves a score of 2113, while the 7870 and 7970 achieve 4059 and 4932 respectively.
      As the 7970 would tend to cost around half as much as your build, I'd be inclined to recommend the 7870 OC GHz edition.

  • _Bruce_ on 17/02/2013 - 07:35
    +4

    If you want to play newer games, consider dropping the i5 for an i3 and don't get an overclocking motherboard. Use the money saved to buy the best video card you can (7850 and 7870 are great). You may also need to spend a little more on the power supply to do this (scrimshaws suggestion is fine for a 7770, probably not for a 7870).

    There is a huge difference between the 77xx range and 78xx range. Not so much for 79xx, which I wouldn't recommend for your price point.

    • zelda707 on 17/02/2013 - 11:23

      would scrimshaws psu be enough for the 7850?

      • _Bruce_ on 17/02/2013 - 13:41

        Probably, a lot of people have different opinions on this though.

        • zelda707 on 17/02/2013 - 14:19

          thanks, so it would definitely be enough for a 7770? what nvidia cards would be between the 7770 and 7850?

        • ProspectiveDarkness on 17/02/2013 - 14:28
          +1

          what nvidia cards would be between the 7770 and 7850?

          I'd say the 650 Ti fits that bill relatively well. The 650 (non-Ti) is worse than the 7770, and the 660 seems to win in benchmarks over the 7850 (though I'm unsure if the Catalyst update changed this)

      • Mungulz on 18/02/2013 - 03:15

        Well, take it or leave it, but I've had a 5770 (for a year) and then a 6950 for almost 2 years now, on the Thermaltake V3 450W PSU.. CPU and GPU both OCed and the PSU has never had a fault, I've cleaned the dust out of it maybe twice..

        I used to game very frequently, and this PSU has seen many hours of intensive games, on summer days, and never exploded my shit.

    • Drifta on 17/02/2013 - 23:39

      Whats a good case/psu combo or separate in your opinion that will work with the 7850 as well as letting me upgrade to a higher end gfx down the line if i wish to do so?

      any good deals on the 7850 currently that you are aware off?

  • hesokay on 17/02/2013 - 14:50

    I would go with either an i5 3470 or 3550
    Also, recommend the Powercolor 7850 PCS+

    • ProspectiveDarkness on 17/02/2013 - 14:54
      +1

      The OP stated an interest in overclocking - therefore both of those CPU's are unsuitable.

  • ethereal88 on 17/02/2013 - 15:52
    -1

    Get an i5 for gaming. Every single upcoming game in 2013 will recommend a quad unless they are crap ports like Dead Space 3 and Colonial Marines (which are on their way out). Even next gen consoles look like having custom 8 core CPU's. Bioshock Infinite, Crysis 3 etc. If you really want an i3, I do have a Core i3 3220, H77M-D3H and 8GB DDR3 going for $170 if you want them.

    • _Bruce_ on 17/02/2013 - 17:24
      +2

      As discussed at length previously, this is nothing more than ethereal's opinion, and the i3 3220 is a very capable CPU.

      • ethereal88 on 18/02/2013 - 07:03
        -1

        Look at game requirements, look at them. Crysis 3 REQUIRES a quad, so does every other non shitty port year this. Look at Borderlands 2 and Hitman Resolution here as recent game examples:

        http://www.techspot.com/review/608-hitman-absolution-perform…

        46 vs 61 halfway down

        http://www.techspot.com/review/577-borderlands-2-performance…

        47 vs 74

        What are you still yapping on about? You NEED a quad in 2013. Capable or not its not a quad.

        • _Bruce_ on 18/02/2013 - 08:09

          Crysis 3 REQUIRES a quad

          Completely wrong.

          46 vs 61 halfway down

          On a 7970 Ghz edition, which is NOT what we are talking about.

          47 vs 74

          680 GTX, and the i3 isn't even on this page.

          Stop making things up. You can express your opinion as much as you like.

        • nephilim on 18/02/2013 - 14:43

          Actually I read people were maxing out the crysis 3 beta with c2d

        • ethereal88 on 18/02/2013 - 17:34
          -1

          Who cares about the GPU? The point is a dual isn't enough. As for the i3, the only available dual was the 4170. You are imagining things with Crysis 3:

          Recommended system requirements for PC

          Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
          DirectX 11 graphics card with 1GB Video RAM
          Quad core CPU
          4GB Memory

        • _Bruce_ on 18/02/2013 - 22:33
          +1

          Recommended is not the same as required, please try to communicate clearly. There is little point in getting more than the i3 3220 unless you are getting at least a 7870.

  • ankor on 18/02/2013 - 22:51
    +1

    Re: OC and videocards

    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-rev…

    Why overclock in the first place?

    I think that once you're at the i5-3570K level, you should be investing more into the GPU and recommend you zoom right past the HD7770 and go the hd7850. However you add significant cost to this.

    You can try and save by looking on ebay for a second hand gpu like the hd6950 2gb, or gtx 560Ti. If you're lucky you'll pay about 120-160 for them + delivery. Just note that they are older technology but still fairly good with framerates. Total overkill for a casual gamer at RRP though imo.

    Go to youtube and search your combination of processor and gpu to get an idea how games are performing.

    eg- "i5 3570k hd7850"

    Re: Games

    Questions that you will have to ask yourself:

    What size monitor are you using and what resolution?
    The games you wish to play, are they cpu dependent or gpu dependent?
    Does game 1, game 2, and game 3 favour nvidia or amd in the benchmarks at the resolution you stated before?

    Probably the most comprehensive sites that I've seen has been anandtech and tomshardware. You are best off tailoring your search by game to see which card you prefer.

    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7870-review-be…
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-650-ti-bench…

    Re: CPU

    There are only a few games that are quadcore hungry, but I think that number will increase as time goes by. GTAIV and BF3 are examples of games that prefer quadcores.

    http://au.ign.com/wikis/far-cry-3/System_Requirements
    http://wikigameguides.com/Borderlands-2/wiki/PC-System-Requi…
    http://support.rockstargames.com/entries/21319876-Max-Payne-…
    http://www.techspot.com/review/467-skyrim-performance/page7.…

    I recommend staying away from the AMD FX series, since they seem to perform quite poorly core for core and consume more power in comparison to an intel.

    Re: Psu

    Someone else may answer this, but I would feel safer overclocking the shit out of an i5-3570K if I had a 600-650w psu that was one of those 80+ certifications. A 550w might be cutting it close but having said that I've read some conflicting opinions on the net.

    • duneknight on 25/02/2013 - 18:11

      i wish there is a definit answer to this. I just bought a 550w and im a little worried. people who tested say at full its 300max that is used.

      • _Bruce_ on 25/02/2013 - 18:18

        It is really about if the power supply keeps the 12V rail stable under load rather than the maximum power output. Like how some batteries might 'last' a long time, but due to voltage drop don't work very well after a short period of use.

    • Drifta on 25/02/2013 - 19:07

      Thanks for those links - will look into them

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