Advice needed on 900-1k PC for Gaming and Software Development

[leemck]

I am currently looking at getting a new PC, which will be primarily used for gaming and software development. I multi-task a lot (including running several virtual machines), and will using a 24" monitor with a 1920x1080 res, as well as extending the desktop onto a 2nd smaller screen using my laptop. I'm hoping to be able to play games on the highest settings, but I would like to think that I won't have to go below the 2nd highest.

I haven't bought a desktop in about 5 years - just laptops - so I'm not really up to date with the latest components, and would appreciate any advice you have for me.

The following things are what I'm unsure about at the moment:

-Whether I can downgrade the processor to save some money and not lose too much performance
-Whether I should upgrade the motherboard to the SLI one...an extra 50+ seems a lot just to be able to SLI in the future
-Whether the 1600MHz ram is worth going for over the 1333MHz
-What CPU cooling to go for
-Whether I should go for a PCI-E Network card or PCI...I'm assuming PCI-E but don't want to make a stupid mistake
-Is the Windows 7 that the PC comes with eligible for the Windows 8 upgrade deal?
-Is it worth going for the extra USB 3.0 ports right now?

I think that's all the questions I've got, cheers!

Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3570K (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V LX: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
1.25GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® 330 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
2nd 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
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
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
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£16)
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
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
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: £1,038.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-ivy-bridge-pc/A6GTe_4yvE/

 

[keynes]

-Whether I can downgrade the processor to save some money and not lose too much performance

Yes, you can get the i5-3550

-Whether I should upgrade the motherboard to the SLI one...an extra 50+ seems a lot just to be able to SLI in the future

you don't have to, you could get a more powerful GPU in the future if needed instead.

-Whether the 1600MHz ram is worth going for over the 1333MHz

if you are not overclocking I believe no really notable difference between those 2.

-Whether I should go for a PCI-E Network card or PCI...I'm assuming PCI-E but don't want to make a stupid mistake

your motherboard supports both, I personally get the PCI-E to place it above the GPU.

-Is the Windows 7 that the PC comes with eligible for the Windows 8 upgrade deal?

Yes, if you buy windows 7 you can get windows 8 for £14.99

-Is it worth going for the extra USB 3.0 ports right now?

Only if you have plenty of devices that benefit from USB 3.0, I haven't used mine yet

 

[leemck]

Yes, you can get the i5-3550

you don't have to, you could get a more powerful GPU in the future if needed instead.

if you are not overclocking I believe no really notable difference between those 2.

your motherboard supports both, I personally get the PCI-E to place it above the GPU.

Yes, if you buy windows 7 you can get windows 8 for £14.99

Only if you have plenty of devices that benefit from USB 3.0, I haven't used mine yet

Thanks for replying, that's settled a few questions I had, although I'm afraid I have managed to think of some additional ones to ask.

Firstly, which would be the better SSD to go for out of the Intel 120gb and Kingston 90gb? They're basically the same price and the Kingston looks faster, but from searching the Kingston doesn't seem to have great reviews. Secondly, would it be worth it going for 670 GTX instead of the 570 GTX? It looks to be a lot better, but obviously a great deal more expensive, and I was wondering whether it was worth going over budget for.

Here's what I have at the moment:

Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3550 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V LX: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1.25GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® 330 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
2nd 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
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
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
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£16)
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
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
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: £1,025.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-ivy-bridge-pc/QAeEFyYud8/

 

[keynes]

Both the intel and kingston SSDs are realiable and in real life application I would find it difficult to notice any difference in speed. The gtx 670 is a very good card that will allow you to max most games at high settings, whether or not you should chose it over the gtx 570 depends on the games you are playing and the fps you are expecting at high settings, I'd go with the best graphics card I can afford.

 

[leemck]

Both the intel and kingston SSDs are realiable and in real life application I would find it difficult to notice any difference in speed. The gtx 670 is a very good card that will allow you to max most games at high settings, whether or not you should chose it over the gtx 570 depends on the games you are playing and the fps you are expecting at high settings, I'd go with the best graphics card I can afford.

Ok, I think I've got my final spec now; I've decided to stick with the Intel SSD and 570 GTX, as well as getting rid of the Wireless Card (I currently connect via cable and just chose it in case I might need it, but I will just get home plugs in the future instead I think). Gaming wise I'd like to play games like Skyrim on as high settings as I can, but I can't justify another £100+ just for the Graphics card so will lower the settings if I have to.

Here's the final spec that I'm going to order today or tomorrow, could you give it once last once over in case I've made any mistakes please :


Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3550 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V LX: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
1.25GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® 330 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
2nd 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
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
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
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
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: £1,009.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-ivy-bridge-pc/ODE9236pmE/

 

[Rakk]

Here's the final spec that I'm going to order today or tomorrow, could you give it once last once over in case I've made any mistakes please :

Looks good to me