Gaming Spec

[HandmadeTurnip]

Hi, I'm looking to upgrade from my current laptop to a proper gaming desktop. My laptop's GT 555M struggles with a lot of games and I find myself having to spend a lot of time tweaking settings to get the best graphics quality-to-framerate ratio. So, basically I want a rig that on which I can just whack all the settings up to max without having to worry about the framerate. I also use mods often on games like Skyrim, Fallout and GTA so it would be nice to be able to use things like ENB and other performance heavy stuff while maintaining a high FPS.

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF-X FULL TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3570K (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V: PCI-E 3.0 READY, WIFI, SLI, CROSSFIREX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 670 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W PRO SERIES™ HX750-80 PLUS® SILVER MODULAR (£119)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE INTEL CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,184.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes...pc/WvADQ8R5YL/

That's the spec I came up with but I have a couple of questions about certain components:

1. Is a modular PSU worth the extra money? Will I notice that much of a difference in terms of tidyness and airflow?

2. Will the cooler I've chosen be good enough? I think I've seen it used in most gaming specs on here so I'm assuming the more expensive ones don't offer much of an improvement.

3. Apart from loading time, what other benefits does playing a game off an SSD have? Does it improve the actual performance in any way? (framerate etc.)

Also, if you have any other advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

[keynes]

1 it is not essential but it will make it easier for cable magement.
2. Are you planning to overclock your CPU? Not really needed for gaming.
3. I don't think it does.
If you are not planning to overclock the CPU you could go with the i5-3570 instead + triple copper heatpipe.

[iBushay]

Ruben is right, SSD doesn't improve gaming performance in terms of FPS but it will increase game load times, OS boot time, opening program speed and other various tasks.

The cooler you have chosen will be fine as long as, as ruben said, you're not planning to overclock and if you're not planning to overclock then the 3570k is money that could spent elsewhere.

The 'k' version of CPUs is generally the version that can be overclocked so maybe choose a different CPU?

Other than that it looks like a nice system, will definitely have some fun with that GTX 670

[HandmadeTurnip]

Thanks for the replies.

I went for the 'k' version of the CPU because it's only £15 more and I thought it would be nice to have the option. Although now I think about it I can't really see myself ever overclocking it so you're right, maybe the standard 3570 is a better choice.

Also, do you think the HAF-X is a good choice for a case? It seems to be quite popular but considering it's one of the most expensive ones, I don't want to waste money when a cheaper one would do the job just as well.

[keynes]

Also, do you think the HAF-X is a good choice for a case? It seems to be quite popular but considering it's one of the most expensive ones, I don't want to waste money when a cheaper one would do the job just as well.

The HAF-X is awesome , got one and it provides good airflow and excellent for cable management. I'd also go with a full tower case if you are planning to add a 2nd GPU in the future.

[iBushay]

Thanks for the replies.

I went for the 'k' version of the CPU because it's only £15 more and I thought it would be nice to have the option. Although now I think about it I can't really see myself ever overclocking it so you're right, maybe the standard 3570 is a better choice.

Also, do you think the HAF-X is a good choice for a case? It seems to be quite popular but considering it's one of the most expensive ones, I don't want to waste money when a cheaper one would do the job just as well.

I think it's a great case, the cooling will be good enough for you to be able to play your games without worrying and the optional side fan is always a bonus.

In my opinion there isn't a major difference in the cases in that sort of price range, as long as they have sufficient cooling and you like the look of it, any choice is a good choice.

The only criticism I would give is that it doesn't look like you have a lot of space on the inside, but pictures can be deceiving, but i'm sure it will be fine!

[keynes]

The only criticism I would give is that it doesn't look like you have a lot of space on the inside, but pictures can be deceiving, but i'm sure it will be fine!

I disagree, the case is massive.

[iBushay]

I disagree, the case is massive.

you have one i'm only looking at a picture lol

[keynes]

you have one i'm only looking at a picture lol

I am going to fit my game cube console inside my case to make a point

[steaky360]

I disagree, the case is massive.

JQXVV.jpg

You can SLI two children in it!