noob gaming pc help

[buythings]

Update 3/4

Planning to buy next week latest

Budget: 1.7k with monitor+os
Usage: 1080p max setting gaming on most games like crysis 3/bioshock infinite/bf4

Prospective build

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75 Pro3 M @ $346
Ram: Kingston 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ $77
ODD: Liteon DVD RW @ $25
HDD: WD 1TB Caviar Blue @ $94
SSD: Plextor M5P 128GB SATA3 @ $159
GPU: Powercolor 7970 3GB DDR5 @ $512
Case: Sharkoon MS140/Xigmatek Asgard XP @ $59
PSU: FSP Raider 550W 80+ Silver @ $89
OS: Windows 7 Home 64 bit OEM @ $110(Tradepac)
Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23" IPS @ $255 (where to get at this price?)
KB+M: Logitech MK100 @ $15(Tradepac)

Total: $1741 + $10 if not self assembling(possible to lower to 1.7k flat?).

Buying mostly at PCThemes

All help is appreciated. Thanks!

Update 6/4

Got my new rig yesterday. Specs on the right>>>

Thanks all HardwareZoners for the kind help!

 

[enenyi]

CPU+MB: Intel i5-3470 + AsRock B75 Pro3-M - $343
RAM: PC3-1600 Kingston DDR3 8GB - $67
GPU: Leadtek GTX 670 2GB DDR5 - $476
SSD: Plextor M5P 128GB - $149 (Best Buy)
HDD: Toshiba 500GB 7200rpm - $63
Casing: Xigmatek Asgard XP - $59
PSU: FSP 550W Raider 80+Silver - $69
ODD: HP 24X DVD SATA - $25
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - $110
Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23" IPS monitor- $255
KB+M: Logitech MK100 Keyboard + Mouse Combo - $21
Assembly Cost: $10

Total: $1647 (Buy all and build at PCThemes unless otherwise specified)

 

[buythings]

Thanks for the recommendation! Hopefully soneone can help me answer some of my questions.

 

[foo9883]

1. Personal preference. Depends whether you into good quality audio or not
2. Most would recommend PC Themes
3. Most games are GPU limited so I say not much difference
4. Personal preference. I prefer W7 though

 

[buythings]

^Thanks for the reply!

Updated first post

 

[nippp0n]

Hi, planning to get my first gaming rig soon. May be trying for games like crysis 3. Budget will be around 1.5-1.6k with monitor + OS + mouse/keyboard. Trying for GTX670 but may settle for GTX660 or equivalent graphics card. If possible fit in an SSD but not urgent. Not sure if missing anything.

Some questions:

1. Sound card needed can I just use any speakers?
If you are neither an audiophile nor using high quality speakers, onboard audio is good enough.

2. Best shop to buy and build which won't attack noobs?
PC Themes has proven to be honest and reliable. You can look for Yilong who is working in the shop. According to forumers feedback, he is approachable and willing to price match as well. If you are confident and done your homework well, you can try Tradepac or Best Buy as their prices are pretty competitive and the savings are quite significant.

3. Any significant difference between i5-3470 and 3570? (Performance wise)
For gaming, i doubt there is any significant difference.

4. Windows 7 or windows 8?
Windows 8 is a different platform with the Metro UI and stuff. I will suggest you try it out at IT stores (Courts, Challenger and etc) to see if you like it.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Edit: not planning to overclock

Update 22/03/2013

Changed budget to 1.2k without m/k+OS+monitor(which is actually around the same as previously). Prices of RAM and PSU have increased, and many shops seem to have no stock for Leadtek/Palit GTX670. So I guess I can reduce my GPU requirement to something that can play 1080p with everything maxed out on a 23" monitor to fit my budget(brand/manufacturer/model doesn't matter). As before, SSD is optional if it can fit my budget but HDD preferably 1TB.

Another question:

From the PCT pricelist it says "all prices are inclusive of 7% GST except for credit card & NETS payment". I assume debit cards fall in the same category as credit cards so is there a way to avoid the GST without withdrawing a ridiculous amount of cash? Or should I just take into account the GST into the final price?

Sorry for the long-winded post. Thanks to all the forumers who have been replying to this and other threads in this forum. Learned a lot by reading through the threads.

Comments in red.

 

[nippp0n]

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $324
Ram: G.Skill 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ $70
ODD: Liteon DVD RW @ $25
HDD: WD Blue 1TB @ $85 (Best Buy Computers)
GPU: Powercolor 7970 V2 @ $512
Case: Asgard Midgard II @ $89
PSU: Seasonic S12 520W @ $89
Assembly cost: $10

Total: $1204
Buy and build at PC Themes unless otherwise stated.

 

[silverlight]

just curious? can 660 max out crysis 3 setting and stay above 30fps?

 

[nippp0n]

just curious? can 660 max out crysis 3 setting and stay above 30fps?

Depends on your resolution. IMO, AMD gpu offers better price to performance ratio.

Crysis 3 VGA Graphics Benchmark performance test - DX11 - VERY High Quality - FXAA performance

Crysis 3 Performance Test: Graphics & CPU > Very High Quality Performance - TechSpot

 

[buythings]

Thanks nippp0n for the information!

Updated first post again.

 

[GrimaH]

I'm maxing out HD Skyrim, Shogun 2 and Far Cry 3 on 1920x1200 with an OC'ed HD7850. I don't see the point in going beyond a HD7870 XT considering your requirements.

Powercolor's 7870 Myst is going for 330-ish; use the extra money on a cheap SSD ($130-$150)and dual-channel RAM kits.

edit:
Intel Core i5 3470 + Asrock B75M Pro3 M - $348
Kingston Hyper-X 1600MHz 4GBx2 CL9 - $78
Samsung 840 120GB SATA-3 SSD - $139
Seagate 1TB HDD - $84
Powercolor HD7870 PCS+ Myst 2GB - $328
FSP 550W Raider 80+ Silver - $89
Random SATA DVD-RW 24x - $25
CM Force 500 USB3.0 ATX - $89

Total: $1180
Off of PC Themes price list. (On a side note, they need to learn to upload proper softcopy PDFs instead of that poorly scanned **** they smear on the pricelist section.)

A HD7850's cheaper by around $60, and you can also drop the SSD if you're looking to cheap out to 1k.

Also, if you aren't in a hurry, there should be incoming price drops over the next few weeks because of the new GTX650 Ti Boost and HD7790.

 

[buythings]

So I can go for the 7870 myst if I don't intend to overclock?

 

[GrimaH]

So I can go for the 7870 myst if I don't intend to overclock?

Yes.

PC Themes charges $10 for assembly iirc.

 

[buythings]

Updated first post

 

[aderica]

Updated first post

You only need a screwdriver.

Of course there is gst incurred with nets payment.

 

[Maeda_Toshiie]

You only need a screwdriver.

Of course there is gst incurred with nets payment.

PCThemes's price list is for cash. Additional charge for CC, not sure about Nets. I always prefer cash payment when buying PC stuff in SLS. If you are a DBS/POSB account user, ATM machine diagonally across the road junction.

Cross tip screwdriver, preferably a torchlight, and a flat surface to work on (eg. a table).

 

[buythings]

Thanks for replies!

Updated budget and added prospective build.

 

[nippp0n]

Update 3/4

Planning to buy next week latest

Budget: 1.7k with monitor+os
Usage: 1080p max setting gaming on most games like crysis 3/bioshock infinite/bf4

Prospective build

CPU & Mobo: i5-3330 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $316
Slight difference in clock speed but won't significantly affect your game play. This mobo only comes with 2 ram slots and lesser SATA ports.
Ram: Kingston 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ $77
ODD: Liteon DVD RW @ $25
HDD: WD 1TB Caviar Blue @ $85
Ask for price match to Best Buy price @ $85. If not, buy from Best Buy and bring over to PCT for assembly.
SSD: Plextor M5P 128GB SATA3 @ $159
My friend got it for $150 at PC Themes.
GPU: Powercolor 7970 3GB DDR5 @ $512
Case: Sharkoon MS140/Xigmatek Asgard XP @ $59
PSU: FSP Raider 550W 80+ Silver @ $89
Change your PSU and Case to TT Commander MSI & Seasonic S12 520W bundle promo @ $140.
OS: Windows 7 Home 64 bit OEM @ $110(Tradepac)
Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23" IPS @ $255 (where to get at this price?)
PC Themes, Tradepac or Best Buy. Might be possible to bargain to $250.
KB+M: Logitech MK100 @ $15(Tradepac)
Assembly cost: $10

Total: $1695

Buying mostly at PCThemes

All help is appreciated. Thanks!

Made some changes in bold. Manage to go below $1700.