Final PC Build Help

[Goku8]

Hi All,

Please may you assist me by advising / critiquing my final PC build. I have had awesome input / advice from Duff Man, NAG Weasley and The Joker ( MyGaming Forum).

I am only purchasing in November so hopefully prices will be a bit better. Looking to maybe buy from rebeltech.

1. Is this a balanced build?
2. Will it be able to comfortably handle future titles and games?
3. In terms of hardware/prices, should I wait till December or rather buy now?
4. Can you recommend better components for the hardware?

Purpose:

· HD Movies,
· Connected to 32 Inch LED TV,
· General use
· Latest Game Titles: Crysis 3 – when released, Diablo 3, NFS Most Wanted 2, Supreme Commander, Sleeping Dogs, Borderlands etc.

Build:
· MB:GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H
· Processor:Intel Core i5 3470, 3.2GHz
· Graphics:Sapphire HD7850, 2GB
· RAM: Team Elite 8GB
· Case: Antec One
Hopefully the dust filters will help and can keep the contents cool and can fit the graphics card.
· PSU:Antec HCG-M (High Current Gamer Modular), 520w
Trying to find something as good but cheaper?
· Keyboard:GIGABYTE KM7580
· DVD / RW:LG GH22NS50, 22x SATA
· HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003, 1TB
· Internet: D-Link DWA-121


Thank you!

 

[Totempole]

Hi All,

Please may you assist me by advising / critiquing my final PC build. I have had awesome input / advice from Duff Man, NAG Weasley and The Joker ( MyGaming Forum).

I am only purchasing in November so hopefully prices will be a bit better. Looking to maybe buy from rebeltech.

1. Is this a balanced build?
2. Will it be able to comfortably handle future titles and games?
3. In terms of hardware/prices, should I wait till December or rather buy now?
4. Can you recommend better components for the hardware?

Purpose:

· HD Movies,
· Connected to 32 Inch LED TV,
· General use
· Latest Game Titles: Crysis 3 – when released, Diablo 3, NFS Most Wanted 2, Supreme Commander, Sleeping Dogs, Borderlands etc.

Build:
· MB:GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H
· Processor:Intel Core i5 3470, 3.2GHz
· Graphics:Sapphire HD7850, 2GB
· RAM: Team Elite 8GB
· Case: Antec One
Hopefully the dust filters will help and can keep the contents cool and can fit the graphics card.
· PSU:Antec HCG-M (High Current Gamer Modular), 520w
Trying to find something as good but cheaper?
· Keyboard:GIGABYTE KM7580
· DVD / RW:LG GH22NS50, 22x SATA
· HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003, 1TB
· Internet: D-Link DWA-121


Thank you!

It all looks pretty good, but why not spend a little more and get this MSI Z77 Chipset mobo:
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19&products_id=5700
I recommend this board to anyone building an I5 upwards that doesn't need SLI. Great value board.

 

[Rickster]

I would say get a 500GB for your OS/Programs/Games and get a 2TB for the HD Movies (not sure which "HD" you want, Proper HD [18GB] or Blu-Ray Rip [40-50GB]

 

[Archer]

Everything looks good, but that GPU will suffer under Crysis 3 for sure. But thats only one game, so you must decide if you want to splash out more to play that one game at higher settings

 

[Goku8]

It all looks pretty good, but why not spend a little more and get this MSI Z77 Chipset mobo:
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19&products_id=5700
I recommend this board to anyone building an I5 upwards that doesn't need SLI. Great value board.

I really wish i could but budget is already tight as I kinda increased it slightly to include the graphics card

I would say get a 500GB for your OS/Programs/Games and get a 2TB for the HD Movies (not sure which "HD" you want, Proper HD [18GB] or Blu-Ray Rip [40-50GB]

I already have a 1.5TB external. in terms of HD i mean watching bluray movies 1080p or 720p

Everything looks good, but that GPU will suffer under Crysis 3 for sure. But thats only one game, so you must decide if you want to splash out more to play that one game at higher settings

When you mean 'suffer' is it that i will not be able to play it on ultra high settings and only use high settings? or do you mean it will be on low settings?

 

[Archer]

When you mean 'suffer' is it that i will not be able to play it on ultra high settings and only use high settings? or do you mean it will be on low settings?

I dont know, I'm just guessing based on that footage I've seen that the game will need something beefy. But then again, its the same engine as Crysis 2 iirc, which means high settings should be doable.

 

[Goku8]

I dont know, I'm just guessing based on that footage I've seen that the game will need something beefy. But then again, its the same engine as Crysis 2 iirc, which means high settings should be doable.

Ok cool. Other than that is it a good build and will all the components work together well? With the rand / US exchange rate prices have gone up a lil. Hopefully by november it will be a lil better.

 

[Mr.X]

Why not get a 7870 Ghz edition

 

[Duff-Man]

Hi Goku8

Why not opt for the ASUS P8B75-V @R1052 instead of the Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H as it supports Crossfire which gives you the option to, if needed, add a second 7850 (or another AMD GPU) for extra performance.

 

[Goku8]

Hi Goku8

Why not opt for the ASUS P8B75-V @R1052 instead of the Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H as it supports Crossfire which gives you the option to, if needed, add a second 7850 (or another AMD GPU) for extra performance.

Will look into it. Otherwise what do you think of the build, good for a 2/3 years?
Am not into heavy gaming, am cool with running on high or medium settings

 

[CataclysmZA]

I dont know, I'm just guessing based on that footage I've seen that the game will need something beefy. But then again, its the same engine as Crysis 2 iirc, which means high settings should be doable.

Crysis 3 uses CryEngine 3, which also appears on Crysis 2, Nexiuz, Mechwarrior Online and the console version of Crysis. Its more biased towards bandwidth and good shader output, some light tesselation mixed in. The HD7850 does have a 256-bit bus and DDR5, so it'll run just fine on high settings at 1080p with 4x AA. Ultra settings will only be possible if the game still includes the DX9 render path, but even on medium its a spectacular game to look at.

Also, look these things up before you state an opinion that includes the words, "I don't know" or "I'm guessing". You open yourself up to looking like a fool if you don't have facts to back up your viewpoint.

Will look into it. Otherwise what do you think of the build, good for a 2/3 years?
Am not into heavy gaming, am cool with running on high or medium settings

I think you're looking at a good two years of gaming at high settings with every thing enabled, with the third year requiring a GPU overclock and dropping AA to avoid sucking up all the GPU's available RAM.

 

[Goku8]

I think you're looking at a good two years of gaming at high settings with every thing enabled, with the third year requiring a GPU overclock and dropping AA to avoid sucking up all the GPU's available RAM.

Thanks. You think i should wait till December to buy? Will there be more sales in December? Not sure how it was last year with places like rebeltech?

Also is there a cheaper PSU you would recommend? The Joker advised me to get the antec one above as its much better and reliable, but its sort of over my budget, yet i do really wants something good/long lasting

 

[CataclysmZA]

I'm not so sure about any sales that may happen. I'd pretty much get the RAM in the next month or two because I predict a rise in chip prices as the market floods with too many existing 2GB and 4GB modules by December/January. There are no major processor developments from the Intel camp until March next year with the previewing of Haswell chips, so you're safe for longevity. Pretty much now or next month is a good time to buy.

Totempole recommended a cheap Z77 board and its a consideration especially if you would be interested in overclocking the CPU a bit by the time year three rolls around. If you do decide to go for a slightly higher-end board, look at Asrock's Z77 Pro 3. You can overclock locked chips if they have Turbo boost enabled, by effectively setting Turbo mode on all the time in the BIOS. Otherwise, I'd go for the B75 chipset every time, its a very cost-effective solution.

The PSU is a good one and being modular always helps with keeping things tidy inside. I can recommend Cooler Master's GX450W to save the most money, or the Silent Pro M2 if you want lower noise levels, a cheaper price and modular cables. The most your system should suck from the wall is around 280W, so you'll be fine for power usage and at least one GPU/CPU upgrade.

 

[Goku8]

Thanks for the awesome info!! Will look into it. BTW if i get the PSU you recommended as need to add an extra HDD how much more power will i need?

 

[Duff-Man]

Will look into it. Otherwise what do you think of the build, good for a 2/3 years?
Am not into heavy gaming, am cool with running on high or medium settings

In my opinion I'd say around a year and a half of gaming on high settings with the second year running on medium to high settings (or high settings with a decent overclock) and the third year running at medium settings. Take note though that this only only an estimate, as it all depends on the release of the next-gen consolses along with the release of the next generation of games utilising newer, more advanced and demanding engines, which I'm guessing will take place sometime in Q2 next year.

The reason this depends on the next-gen consoles is that the console is considered the denominator for most games (barring BF3 and Crysis). Then again after the release of the next-gen consoles and the end of this "cycle" we are most likely going to have to wait for around 10 years according for analysts for the next "cycle" to come to fruition.

 

[Goku8]

Is there a huge difference between the Antec 100 and Antec 1. Duff Man, i saw on your website - TGNN, that you recommended the Antec 100 for one of your builds, plus its cheaper. Please explain why?

Also the for the RAM, i saw the Team Elite 8gb is not really recommended? Is it a decent ram for my use, or should i rather spend a little extra and get a 8GB Corsair Vengeance?

 

[X-Gamer]

Go for the two of the cheapest 4GB DDR3-1600 Ram you can get, even DDR3-1333 will be fine, there's not much of a price difference. That Team Elite looks fine, 1.5V CL9 lifetime warranty. And that price is good.

 

[CataclysmZA]

Is there a huge difference between the Antec 100 and Antec 1. Duff Man, i saw on your website - TGNN, that you recommended the Antec 100 for one of your builds, plus its cheaper. Please explain why?

There's a big difference chassis-wise. The One, specifically the S3 version, has two native USB 3.0 ports on the front panel. The One also has a rotated hard drive cage held together by easily accessible rivets, making removing the cage easier. It also an extra routing hole for cables on the motherboard tray, and these cut-outs have rubber grommets in the S3 version. The entire front panel is meshed, though, so SATA cables that are brightly coloured will be easily visible and need to be cable tied. There aren't any dust filters for the front fan, only for the PSU. You can fit in five 3.5" hard drives and two 2.5" drives natively without any adapters. (TechpowerUp! review)

The One Hundred has a holding tray at the top for small objects and has four front-panel USB 2.0 ports, but lacks a reset button. It has a normal hard drive cage with support for up to six 3.5" drives and one 2.5" drive. There's a built-in fan controller for two fans, but lacks a few cut-outs in the motherboard tray to allow for cable management - something remedied with a dremel. Its also a physically smaller case that limits the size of the hardware you can install. The placement of the top fan is also too close for comfort and will only work well if you use the stock CPU cooler, and the method of installing the hard drives is a little cumbersome from the looks of it - you have to take off the front panel every time. (ThinkComputer review)

I'd go for the One S3, its the better choice. Alternatively, there's also Cooler Master's Elite 311 Plus (easily removable hard drive cage) and I've always had a soft spot for the Cooler Master brand.

Also the for the RAM, i saw the Team Elite 8gb is not really recommended? Is it a decent ram for my use, or should i rather spend a little extra and get a 8GB Corsair Vengeance?

TEAM is still a rather unknown brand because a lot of people have forgotten about it since they exited the local market three years ago. Like Asrock, they were the enthusiast's choice back in the day and have come back with a strong opening lineup. Its a good choice, and a cheap one too.

 

[MK8]

Nag Weasley - What about a more silent case around the 700 to 900 ranges? Something thats quiet, has dust filters, will keep things cool, and looks good? For example the cooler master enforcer, silencio 450 or 550, solo 2? Seems the silencio 550 is good enough for all the components to fit?

 

[Goku8]

This is the response i received from rebeltech. What you guys thinks?

Cooler Master K380 Mid Tower
Intel Core i5 3470
ASRock Z77 Pro 3
Antec VP650P 650W
Seagate Barracuda 1TB
G Skill Sniper DDR3 1600 8GB
LG GH24NS90
D Link DWA 121
Microsoft Wireless Desktop 800
Sapphire HD7850 2GB OC

Total = 8903