Global Conflict

I've decided to go ahead and build a new computer.

I already have a cheap(ish) graphics card that I got off ebay to last me till BF4 comes out. It's an ATI Radeon HD 6870 (1024 MB). I don't need a mouse/keyboard/OS/monitor/CDdrive

Right now this is my starting point. I have a £500 budget:

TheYonderGod wrote: CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£163.19 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£101.98 @ Dabs)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£36.23 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£128.34 @ Aria PC) [and reuse your current HDD or just get a 1tb HDD instead]
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£31.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£47.99 @ Novatech)

May I suggest a more powerful power supply? I think 500W is a bit low, especially if you are planning to upgrade something at a later time. I have the same video card, and I think I'll have to get a new one for BF4. D:

IMHO you can save some money if you exchange two part:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz (in other words not the K-version, if you want to OC go with the K)
HDD: Samsung 830 256 Gb SSD (840 is the latest version, 830 is often cheaper and still very good)

Essentially no performance loss, but you save some pounds.

the power supply will not last you if you want to upgrade gpu

o1oo1 wrote:the power supply will not last you if you want to upgrade gpu

latest AMD card HD 7970 recommends 500W+
latest Nvidia card GTX 690 requires 650W (300W GPU max power consumption) but priced at 1,000$ and is manufactured at 40nm (while the AMD one is 28nm - less power consumption).
with GTX 680 550W and GTX 670 500W.

Jokerle wrote:IMHO you can save some money if you exchange two part:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz (in other words not the K-version, if you want to OC go with the K)

I'm probably going to stick with the K, I don't think I'll OC right away, but for an extra £10 it's worth it to keep the option open.

Necromancer wrote:

o1oo1 wrote:the power supply will not last you if you want to upgrade gpu

latest AMD card HD 7970 recommends 500W+
latest Nvidia card GTX 690 requires 650W but priced at 1,000$ and is manufactured at 40nm (while the AMD one is 28nm - less power consumption).
with GTX 680 550W and GTX 670 500W.

I guess if I want to crossifre/upgrade at some point than a better PSU is a must. Would a 750W PSU be enough for that?

BotoloLover wrote:May I suggest a more powerful power supply? I think 500W is a bit low, especially if you are planning to upgrade something at a later time. I have the same video card, and I think I'll have to get a new one for BF4. D:

I agree, and if you aren't gonna overclock there isn't really any point in getting a motherboard that expensive either. Just take a basic model, they still have what you need, like SATA3, USB3.0 and one PCI-E slots. Most "extreme" or "deluxe" boards have two slots for gpu but if your plan is to NOT do crossfire or sli there isnt' really any point of getting it.
When I got my computer for BF3 the Z68 chip was out but I still went for the P67, saved alot of money and still got pretty much the same performance. The difference in performance will show in a test but you won't see it yourself while gaming.

i bought my mobo to have an option for SLI/Crossfire and my 5850 thinking the same. now i realize i ain't gonna buy another 5850 so it was just a waste of 50$

if you buy a mobo without a second PCI-E x8 then you probably wont need a power supply greater then 500W.

Thoughts?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£151.19 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G43 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£69.95 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£36.23 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£121.16 @ Aria PC)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (£31.18 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£67.90 @ Dabs)
Total: £502.60
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-13 16:49 GMT+0000)

Looks good.
How much cheaper is the Corsair 650W powersupply, if its possible to get that and then change to the K-model on cpu and still be about 500 quid, I would go for that instead.
My 2500K (sandy bridge) has a turbo function in bios that makes it go from 3,3GHz to 3,7GHz while playing. I think the 3570K might have the same feature, and I use the Intel stock cooler.

knorren wrote:Looks good.
My 2500K (sandy bridge) has a turbo function in bios that makes it go from 3,3GHz to 3,7GHz while playing. I think the 3570K might have the same feature, and I use the Intel stock cooler.

That turbo boost have all intel cpus since sandy bridge. K means you have no fix "something" (multiplier I think) so you can overclock it more easily than others. You still can overclock non K versions. (Im not terrible up to date about that OC anymore)

The stock cooler is also quite okay, another saving opportunity.

Jokerle wrote:

knorren wrote:Looks good.
My 2500K (sandy bridge) has a turbo function in bios that makes it go from 3,3GHz to 3,7GHz while playing. I think the 3570K might have the same feature, and I use the Intel stock cooler.

That turbo boost have all intel cpus since sandy bridge. K means you have no fix "something" (multiplier I think) so you can overclock it more easily than others. You still can overclock non K versions. (Im not terrible up to date about that OC anymore)

The stock cooler is also quite okay, another saving opportunity.

Sorry but..

It's Not quite okay,

It's loud, and your Turbo and Kick Down function will atleast be partly disabled. (instead of overclock to 3.8 ghz it goes only to 3.5, because then it gets to hot). Only when you have a Superb Airflow it may get a bit higher tho

So, even a cheap cooler is better (Tranquillo Rev. B, 212, 412S something like that).

Ok, didnt know that all Intel cpus had that turbofunction.
Difference between a K and a non-K is that the multiplier is unlocked which makes alot easier to overclock.
I got mine to 4,3GHz but it wasn't stable with the stock cooler so I went with just turbo for now, I don't need it anyway...yet!

Is there any danger in OCing? I know in the past it would reduce the life expectancy of your system...

Also is the turbo boost feature enabled on the non-k version?

500w is enough to upgrade to 2 6870s or a single 7970 or 680 (or next gen high end card) Don't spend extra on a 750w unless you plan on getting 2 7970s. Maybe 650w if you want extra headroom for 2 6870s or for 2 680s.

You don't really need an aftermarket cooler if you aren't overclocking (non K cpu and cheap mobo)

Oh and that mobo can't do crossfire/SLI, it only has 1 16x slot, the other one is only 4x

Calloutman wrote:Is there any danger in OCing? I know in the past it would reduce the life expectancy of your system...

Also is the turbo boost feature enabled on the non-k version?

With a decent mobo and cooler, not really. Unless you significantly increase your voltage it wont significantly reduce your life expectancy, by the time it dies(usually) it will be wayyy obsolete either way. That mobo is cheap though so it might be kind of dangerous. I would only do light overclocking on it.