PC Build Advice wanted.

[Zyte]

Hi all!

Im upgrading for the first time in about 5 years (scandolous i know). So I am really out of touch with whats hot and whats not in the PC world.

My PC will mainly be used for gaming and would like it to be usable for reasonable amount of time til i next need to upgrade (will be in less than 5 years this time............ i promise). I've been browsing scan and this forum and this is what i've come up with. There is a high chance that there will be compatabililty issues so please dont mock me



I've maxed out my budget with this potential build, so if you could suggest alternatives in a similar price range it would be very much appreciated. All advice is welcome and appreciated!

Many Thanks,

Luke

[Pob255]

Personally I don't rate the i3 for a gaming pc, I'd rather go with i5 750 + p55 or go AMD for lower cost.

Apart from that it's good

[kalniel]

I kind of disagree. For <5 years I think an i3 would be the better option within budget, as you'll get higher clock speed and a better GPU for the money, which will make a difference on gaming today and the near future.

[Zyte]

What would the equivalent AMD be for the i3 and i5?

[GheeTsar]

You could save a little bit of money going for a Samsung F3 HDD over the Seagate perhaps.

[kalniel]

What would the equivalent AMD be for the i3 and i5?

Phenom II X4 and X6 probably, but quite a hard comparison - AMD don't perform as well for the same clockspeed so they either give you more cores for the price or cheaper price.

[Zyte]

The only one which really fell into budget was the X2 an board. Is this in the same league as the i3?

Here is an image of a possible AMD build:

[ehhhhhhh]

Phenom II X4 and X6 probably, but quite a hard comparison - AMD don't perform as well for the same clockspeed so they either give you more cores for the price or cheaper price.

I feel this is quite misleading. I would put the athlon 2s against the i3, and phenom2s against i5/i7....

furthermore, I don't think anyone would notice the difference between these, even the change between the p2 and i7 is unnoticeable if you use the system, and not just stare at benchmarks...

[Merlin4458]

I feel this is quite misleading. I would put the athlon 2s against the i3, and phenom2s against i5/i7....

furthermore, I don't think anyone would notice the difference between these, even the change between the p2 and i7 is unnoticeable if you use the system, and not just stare at benchmarks...

So regardless of branding or which u prefer. Would u recommend the AMD over the intel to save cash without losing performance?

[ehhhhhhh]

So regardless of branding or which u prefer. Would u recommend the AMD over the intel to save cash without losing performance?

indeed, personally I would choose amd for gaming. saves you some cash and will perform better than the i3.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The AMD equivalent to the Core i3 530 was the Phenom II X3 720 which tended to be slightly faster.

Edit!!

It seems the X2 555BE does quite well against the Core i3 530:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2923/6

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Ha...pii_555/6.html

However in multi-threaded games the Core i3 530 will be better than the X2 555BE. However,there is the possibility of unlocking the X2 555BE to a triple or quad core though.

[kalniel]

I feel this is quite misleading. I would put the athlon 2s against the i3, and phenom2s against i5/i7....

My pairing was more based on a performance and market position, though I would more accurately say X6 was for lynnfield, rather than specifically i5.

[Zyte]

If the X2 is the best processor for the job, is the mobo up to scratch or is there a better option?

[Pob255]

The Msi with 770 chipset is an exellent choise
it lacks USB3 and SATA 6gb, but SATA 3gb is not yet saturated and then only by SSD's and I've not seen a big need for USB3 ether.

EDIT: personally I prefer Samsung or LG DVDrw drives, then tend to be a bit less noisey

EDIT2: You may want to add on a couple of low rpm 120mm fans for the front of the antec 300 as well
non-led
Silverstone FN122 are decent and cheap. http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...bearing-design

Blue LED
The Lian-Li 1000rpm models are very good for a low cost http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/120mm...-with-Blue-LED

[kurosagi01]

I wouldn't reconmend getting a Antec 300 unless you want do case modding since i can't see how cable management is good on it without a modular PSU.
Personally i would go for these case:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/NZXT-...r-Case-w-o-PSU
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Silve...SU-Best-Seller

[ehhhhhhh]

I wouldn't reconmend getting a Antec 300 unless you want do case modding since i can't see how cable management is good on it without a modular PSU.

you can hide all the cables behind the HDD cage...so it's quite easy to achieve a tidy cabling.
(though a modular psu is a blessing in every case.)

the new revision has CPU cut-out too and the airflow is brilliant. What I did not like about the 300 is the quality of the fans...I changed all of them and now it's whisper quiet (3x120mm scythes + 140mm fractal= 40quid)