My PC is almost identical to that build (i5-3570K, 8GB Corsair Vengeance, Z-Series Gigabyte M/B) except I have a 128GB Transcend SSD and a Powercolor HD7970. I can testify that it kicks ass like I never imagined. I've played Crysis 3, Far Cry 3, Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, The Witcher 2 and a heavily modded Skyrim recently all at max visual settings with excellent framerates. This is on a 27" Samsung LCD at HD resolution. The 3GB video memory will come in very handy when Battlefield 4 and the slew of other 'next gen' PC games release, like Watch Dogs, Project Cars, Titanfall, GTA V etc. And because the PS4 and Xbone use AMD hardware, it's quite likely that most future PC games will be optimised for AMD graphics cards.
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The PC Build Thread
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My PC is almost identical to that build (i5-3570K, 8GB Corsair Vengeance, Z-Series Gigabyte M/B) except I have a 128GB Transcend SSD and a Powercolor HD7970. I can testify that it kicks ass like I never imagined. I've played Crysis 3, Far Cry 3, Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, The Witcher 2 and a heavily modded Skyrim recently all at max visual settings with excellent framerates. This is on a 27" Samsung LCD at HD resolution. The 3GB video memory will come in very handy when Battlefield 4 and the slew of other 'next gen' PC games release, like Watch Dogs, Project Cars, Titanfall, GTA V etc. And because the PS4 and Xbone use AMD hardware, it's quite likely that most future PC games will be optimised for AMD graphics cards.
I see that the general consensus is that a SSD is a good option for a high end PC like this, so I will speak to my friend about that. Also the reason I left out a 'K' CPU is because that adds a extra few hundred rand (and he is already stretching his budget a bit) and I did not think that overclocking would be necessary. Also if he does overclock it he would need a decent CPU cooler which adds another R500-R800, so once again I will speak with him.
On another note can anyone comment on how audible the Cooler Master Force 200mm fans are?
And thanks for the help so far
On another note can anyone comment on how audible the Cooler Master Force 200mm fans are?
And thanks for the help so far
Why does he even want to load up on fans? My Coolermaster case came with two and I leave it at that. My PC is whisper quiet unless I'm gaming, in which case it's still pretty quiet but audible. My brother has two after market case fans and a Zalman CPU fan, and it sounds like a bloody server. I've dealt with the CM690 II Plus case before and all it needs is a fan on the bottom.
Tachyon
Well-Known Member
Ola peeps,
I've been out of the loop now for a while on hardware so would appreciate comments/suggestions on this setup:
Asus P8Z77-M @ R1 516
Intel Core i5 3570k @ R2 620
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600MHz Module x2 @ R1 592
1TB-7200RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3 (Seagate) Barracuda R778
DVD Writer 22/12x DL SATA @ R165
Coolermaster Elite Case 311 @ R398
700W ATX Power Supply @ R853
Total: R7 922
I'm mostly into strategy games so I don't really need top of the range, but I would prefer to have something decent which will last for years to come. Will add an SSD and a graphics card at a later stage. I assume I can run off integrated graphics until I can afford to get a decent GFX card?
I've been out of the loop now for a while on hardware so would appreciate comments/suggestions on this setup:
Asus P8Z77-M @ R1 516
Intel Core i5 3570k @ R2 620
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600MHz Module x2 @ R1 592
1TB-7200RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3 (Seagate) Barracuda R778
DVD Writer 22/12x DL SATA @ R165
Coolermaster Elite Case 311 @ R398
700W ATX Power Supply @ R853
Total: R7 922
I'm mostly into strategy games so I don't really need top of the range, but I would prefer to have something decent which will last for years to come. Will add an SSD and a graphics card at a later stage. I assume I can run off integrated graphics until I can afford to get a decent GFX card?
The specs are good, but integrated graphics will be very painful, the price of the CPU isn't great considering the Haswell version is the same price, and you don't need 16GB of RAM unless your work requires it. The only strategy games I play are Tropico 4, Civ 5 and Prison Architect, but the first two definitely benefit from a competent graphics card. My Powercolor HD7970 is an absolute beast and has 3GB memory - if Wootware still has it on special for R4.3k I'd recommend grabbing one. Strategy games sometimes need a lot to run on max, although we haven't had a technically accomplished RTS for a while now.
Tachyon
Well-Known Member
Hey Bryn, thanks for the advice!! I know next to nothing about CPU's and I don't see any mention of Haswell in some of the online shops, can you recommend a place? (I'm in Jozi) . I will pickup a graphics card at a later stage when I can afford it, right now I'm running games on a windows partition on a 4 year old macbook pro so I'm pretty sure even the integrated graphics will outperform that in the interim.
Haswell is the current generation of Intel processors, so you will definitely see them in every PC shop (product codes start with a 4 instead of a 3). I just checked out Rebeltech and Digital Sushi and I see the exchange has finally hit our prices. I paid R2.5k for my i5-3570K a few months ago, so your quoted price certainly isn't a ripoff. If it was me I'd probably hang on a bit, but that could be a while so maybe just bite the bullet if you really want a new PC right now.
Tachyon
Well-Known Member
Thanks for that tip. I see Rebeltech has the 4670k for R2750 which is like a R100 extra for the next generation so will have to seriously consider that. What are your thoughts on an AMD solution like the FX-8350 8 core for R2600? I'm a currency trader in my spare time and the rand is not looking good going into the end of the year so it's really a bit of a crapshoot waiting it out for better prices IMO.
I'm actually a fan of the 8350. There are some phenomenal reviews of it out there. Its only weakness is poor single core performance compared to the i5's, but there are hardly any games and apps that aren't optimised for multiple CPU cores. Personally, I would go with Haswell if you're going the Intel route. It'll just be so much easier to upgrade in the future, as long as you get a nice M/B with a good warranty. If you plan on overclocking, stick with Ivy Bridge though.
Just browse the cheap stuff on our local online stores. Get a cheap Coolermaster case with PSU included and an i3 processor.
AthenianOwl
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Is Corsair 300R case good? I don't want to pay more than R1K for a new case.
Go R200 over budget and get the Coolermaster CM690 II Plus. It's the best case at any price imo.
AthenianOwl
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The Corsair 300R is an awesome case! Get the one with the windowed side panel, if you like to see your parts.
Seems to be. Great price. You should grab it now!
Edit: Get the windowed version if you can...
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DuckKnuckle
Expert Member
That's a good price for a good chassis. The windowed version is only needed if you actually want to look inside in which case I hope you make sure your cable management is superb.
Tachyon
Well-Known Member
Anyone care to comment on PSU's? Am looking to build a fairly high end machine (as noted previously) and here are the specs again:
Asus P8Z77-M @ R1 516
Intel Core i5 3570k @ R2 620
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600MHz Module x2 @ R1 592
700W ATX Power Supply @ R853
(Will update these to replace with Haswell soon)
Am seeing some different pricing @ pcint for corsair units:
650W ATX Power Supply Corsair - R 678
750W ATX Power Supply Corsair - R 1,366
Seems like an awfully big difference in pricing for 100W. What would you say is a minimum requirement and what other factors to look out for? ..given for eg. the ridiculous price of electricity in this country
Asus P8Z77-M @ R1 516
Intel Core i5 3570k @ R2 620
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600MHz Module x2 @ R1 592
700W ATX Power Supply @ R853
(Will update these to replace with Haswell soon)
Am seeing some different pricing @ pcint for corsair units:
650W ATX Power Supply Corsair - R 678
750W ATX Power Supply Corsair - R 1,366
Seems like an awfully big difference in pricing for 100W. What would you say is a minimum requirement and what other factors to look out for? ..given for eg. the ridiculous price of electricity in this country
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AthenianOwl
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Yeah
Well, the only problem is that I don't know if some of my PSU (Gigabye ODIN 585W) cables can be connected to my motherboard if it's bottom mounted inside a big case like CM690 II plus or Corsair 300R
My current case is Gigabyte iSolo 210. It's a top mounted PSU case.
DuckKnuckle
Expert Member
Yeah
Well, the only problem is that I don't know if some of my PSU (Gigabye ODIN 585W) cables can be connected to my motherboard if it's bottom mounted inside a big case like CM690 II plus or Corsair 300R
My current case is Gigabyte iSolo 210. It's a top mounted PSU case.
Yeah my dad ran into the same problem when he decided to upgrade his pc. You can always buy sleeved cable extensions though to rectify that if your PSU is compatible.
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