My first PC Build - Budget £700-950 - Help much appreciated!

[Deleted]

Hey guys, I've been a browser of MMO for about 2 years but never really felt the need to register so please excuse the fact that I can't post direct links.

I'm from UK and looking for an above average build, my budget is around £700-950 so I've got a fair ammount of leeway when it comes to components.
Been using mediocre laptops throughout my life and it's come to the point where I'm just sick of playing on 10-12 fps in main cities and 40 second loading screens between zones.

Note: Please be aware I'm looking for a pretty futureproof system (maybe 3/4 years?). I've also heard that getting a fairly OTT mobo isn't such a bad idea if I'm looking to upgrade any parts in the future.

I know a few people irl who can help me out with building the beast after purchase and such but I'd just like to a little feedback on what you guys think of the build. If you've got any constructive critisism or help please dont hesitate to post!

Anyway... here the stuff thats caught my eye currently on Overclockers (btw: Please exclude VAT when considering these parts so assuming my calculations are correct it's something like 16.7% return.)

All of the below are from overclockers.co.uk

Case - £82.99

showproduct.php?prodid=CA-134-AN

Proccessor, Motherboard, Heatsink and RAM - £429.96

showproduct.php?prodid=BU-081-OE&groupid=43&catid=2053&subcat=2063 (8GB RAM Upgrade)

Internal HDD - £109.99

showproduct.php?prodid=HD-248-SE

Graphics Card - £146.99

showproduct.php?prodid=GX-256-AS

All in all this gear comes to £769.93. I know I'm still missing some things but I'm just wondering what kind of cooling/fans I'm going to need in this build? Hopefully some of the things I've linked will give you an insight on how much power/perfomance I'm going to get so you can tell me about cooling issues, as i'm a complete novice at this.
Also f you could recommend any more parts that I need, (i.e. Sound card, Optical drive) please post!

Thanks,

Radio

[Deleted]

I'm going to use Scan.co.uk for my suggestion because it allows me to do this.

You would be able to order the same parts with Overclockers.co.uk if they're your preferred vendor, although to be honest having ordered from both I would say they're both excellent companies and you won't have problems with either.

I'll explain what I would change and give explain my reasoning.

Firstly, I've dropped your processor down from an i7 2600k to an i5 2500k. The reason for this is that the two processors perform virtually identically if you're using them solely for gaming, within a couple of percent of each other, yet the i5 2500k is a fair amount cheaper. If you're expecting to do a lot of video encoding, folding, or other CPU intensive tasks then the i7 2600k would be the better choice. However, if you're just going to use the machine for gaming you're not going to notice any difference by taking the i5 2500k (except, more money left in your wallet!)

Secondly, I've dropped the motherboard down from a Z68 model to a P67. The boards have virtually the same functionality, however the Z68 includes integrated graphics and SSD caching which is of course reflected with the increased price tag. SSD caching is where an SSD of 64gb or less is used to temporarily store data you're accessing from a mechanical hard drive, resulting in quicker access speeds and a more responsive system. However, most people looking for an SSD solution tend to purchase an SSD and actually use the space it provides for commonly used programs with the mechanical drive used as a data store, as a standalone SSD has faster access times than a SSD cached mechanical drive. If you intend to use an SSD cache, you need to use a Z68 board (such as this one.) If you plan to just use a standalone SSD, you're fine with a P67 board.

Thirdly, I've bumped you up to 8gb of RAM as it's a cheap commodity nowadays and may help if you're running many programs at one time. I've picked out RAM that runs at 1600mhz rather than the 1333mhz stuff that was included with the bundle you linked. I also exchanged the CPU cooler out for a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO as this is pretty much the mid range CPU cooler most people go for, with good reason. You'll be able to overclock to 4.4ghz and beyond without any problems with heat. I also changed the hard drive to the Samsung Spinpoint F3 as it's one of the fastest SATAII hard drives out there, and it's also extremely quiet (not to mention a couple of bob cheaper.)

Lastly, I subbed out the GTX 560 for a GTX 560Ti from MSI that has one of the best aftermarket cooling solutions on the market at the moment. The 560Ti is a much stronger card for minimal extra investment. You had missed out a PSU and Optical Drive, so I included those also. I haven't included a case in my revision as you have already chosen one and that tends to be quite a personal thing and shouldn't be made exclusively on the merits of strangers suggestions. The total for the basket I made is £699.40 including delivery, which you can expect to add £60 or so on top of for your case. This potentially leaves £200 in your budget, or £130 if you also need to purchase a copy of Windows. If you wanted to spend the full £950, you could choose to upgrade the graphics card to a GTX 570 or a 6970 for an additional 20-30% performance over a 560Ti. If you chose to do this, I would recommend choosing a slightly stronger power supply, such as this one.

Cooling wise, as long as the case you're looking at has sufficient airflow, you'll be fine. I can't speak for the Antec Dark Fleet from experience but Antec make excellent cases and I'd be surprised if the airflow was pants. Fan wise, it's common to have 1-2x 120mm intake fans on the front, with a 120mm exhaust on the back, which I can see from the picture the Dark Fleet does. It also looks like it includes spaces for a top 120mm fan and a side 120mm fan, which is more than enough cooling.

[Deleted]

Thanks for getting back to me in so much detail Nehran, I'll let you know how I get on! :-)