Gamer,Computer novice, Gaming spec build

[robin h 25]

I've been looking to get a new gaming PC for the past couple of months now, My current gaming PC i'm not happy with anymore, its over 4 years old now and has become slow and take forever to load anything, it randomly crashes with no error messages, my FPS in AAA games are dropping making games feel really laggy

Spec of my 4 year old PC that i can remember off the top of my head,
i7 960 ---- overclocked and liquid cooled
x58 motherboard,
6gb ram
500gb hdd, - became faulty and upgraded to 1tb hdd
850w psu
nvidia gtx 295 - upgraded after the card could not play/run CRYSIS 3, running a nvidia gtx 690 at the moment

My gtx 690 on CRYSIS 3 on high settings gets around 18 - 24 FPS, Yet i watched many youtube videos of CRYSIS 3 being played at high setting on a gtx 690 and the FPS shows around 58 - 79,
i don't know if this is due to having a newer card in an older system or playing on a tv at 60hz or something else i just don't know of, but i'm not happy with my PC as it is now so...






This is the setup i'm looking at getting,

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM TROOPER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Quad Core i7-4820K (3.7GHz @ max 4.4GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® SABERTOOTH X79: SOCKET 2011, R.O.G
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2400MHz X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD ----------------------------- Looking at using my nvidia gtx 690 if its ok to run with this setup, may upgrade later on
1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£99)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£59)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Monitor
ASUS VG278HR 27" 144Hz 3D-READY LED (1920 x 1080) + GLASSES (£479)
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour) (£135)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,739.00 including VAT and delivery.


also i've picked this monitor
ASUS VG278HR 27" 144Hz 3D-READY LED (1920 x 1080) because it seems to looks good for gaming and i've never had a PC monitor before, I currently use my 40" LED 100hz tv to use my PC on, but my PC can only use a max of 60hz with the tv, and would really like to see the difference if any of gaming in/at 120hz+,
also if this monitor is ok to use the likes of game consoles, xbox one, ps4.
Thanks.

 

[mantadog]

Not sure you need a new system TBH, you need to check your GPU is working properly. What kind of temps is it running, have you downloaded the latest drivers? tried a fresh installation of the OS?

Spending £1700 on a new rig is a bit overkill at the moment. Unless you want an upgrade of course.

In which case I would stick to the 4770, z87-A, 8GB RAM and your 690.

 

[Spuff]

You don't need an i7 for gaming.
Good 1600MHz Ram is a better choice than 2400Mhz Ram for gaming.
You could go for a cheaper case, but that's a personal thing.

A GTX 690 should certainly get better fps in Crysis 3. My GTX 760 got comfortably over 30 fps with the game on max settings (at 1080p).

 

[TheGeeza]

2011 is a powerful socket. It's got way more power than you need for gaming. It's also a bit more expensive that 1150. You would probably be better just going for a haswell based system with an I5.

 

[bigben]

I would rather get something like this:

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 750D FULL TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£139)
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour) (£135)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,125.00 including VAT and delivery. As you can see, significantly cheaper and will be just as good for gaming.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-haswell-pc/AQd9YVg2qO/

If you do want to overclock then I would get an H100i instead of an H60 - it's a better cooler and I'm pretty sure it's quieter too.

With the GTX690 this rig is similar to mine. Although I don't have Crysis 3, I know that my rig gets over 100 FPS on Tomb Raider (setting maxed out).

 

[Boozad]

My 780 blitzed Crysis 3 so a 690 should handle it. Ben's spec is a good one too, although I'd go for the Intel 730 Series SSD.

 

[robin h 25]

Thanks for the reply's,

If go for an i5 over an i7 this it the setup i'm looking at
also just wandering is an i5 ok for playing games like ARMA 3 on max settings as i've heard i takes a big hit on cpu's, i have ARMA 3 but my current PC its unplayable

My budget i have to spend is up to £2000 but anything under the better,

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM TROOPER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i5-4670k Quad Core (3.40GHz @ max 4.20GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® SABERTOOTH Z87: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, THERMAL ARMOR
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X FURY DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD --------- nvidia GTX 690
1st Hard Disk
240GB INTEL® 730 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 270MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£99)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£89)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor
ASUS VG278HR 27" 144Hz 3D-READY LED (1920 x 1080) + GLASSES (£479)
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour) (£135)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,740.00 including VAT and delivery. ------ Just wondering with this being £1 more than the i7 build i did would this out perform the i7 build? or is would their be no difference

 

[robin h 25]

Not sure you need a new system TBH, you need to check your GPU is working properly. What kind of temps is it running, have you downloaded the latest drivers? tried a fresh installation of the OS?

Spending £1700 on a new rig is a bit overkill at the moment. Unless you want an upgrade of course.

In which case I would stick to the 4770, z87-A, 8GB RAM and your 690.

i have the latest drivers, i get them as soon as they become available

the temp of my gpu just doing internet surfing, watching youtube/twitch tv, at around 26 -30c and when gaming not yet seen go above 50c but mostly stick around low to mid 40's, i don't know if this is normal or would be causing any problems?
the temp of my cpu" " 33 - 41c" and under a 100% load, up to 79c in under 5 mins, 4 hours under 100% load up to 87c, My cpu is liquid cooled, i don't know if this is normal or would be causing any problems

with my current PC random crashing so much i've lost count on how many times i've installed the OS as well as complete system restore. and it just getting worst

Just trying to type this up my PC already crashed twice, i'm not happy with my current PC, i'm no PC expert but my PC can crash anywhere from 15 to 40+ times a day and this has been on going for about a year and i'm just fed up with my PC, cant really get to do much with my PC anymore.

 

[mantadog]

I would drop the motherboard to the Z87-A, probably drop the overclock too if its just gaming. it doesn't really help, the i5 is easily able to play games.

apart from that if your going down the new build route then it looks fine.

 

[robin h 25]

It will be for hardcore gaming for the most part, plus i like to run games at the highest possible video setting, I have a very small youtube channel at the moment for which i sometimes i may make random gaming video's replays for from time to time using Dxtory/Fraps and windows movie maker to edit and render in 1080p,
plus i'd like to have a build that i won't need to upgrade for a number of years to come (at least 4 - 6+ years), and maybe to get a new gpu every 1-2 years if when/need be and if and when i have the money for one,

Thank you for the advice, Just want to make sure to get the right PC build/setup as i've bought 2 previous PC's before and do believe they were both shameful mistakes as i did not know what i was doing that time and had no help or advice and just went in blind,

Hope to get and put order down soon, just going wait and see for any more advice if i think i'm needing any more.

 

[robin h 25]

I would also like any advice on a gaming monitors, having never had or used a PC monitor before

I've only ever used a TV to connect my PC's too, My TV is a 40" 100hz LED Full HD TV (1920x1080) but on the nvidia control panel it only goes up to 60hz on my TV to use for my PC,
My TV has only two input for a PC, 1 VGA port and 4 HDMI port, i use the HDMI because i've heard VGA is useless and not worth using

I've heard that gaming at 120hz+ is better then at 60hz, games look better and frame rate is faster, also i don't know if their any good for games console to play on such as xbox one or ps4

I would be after a 27" monitor, There's one i have my eye one which look ideal

ASUS VG278HR 27" 144Hz 3D-READY MONITOR, £479 inc. VAT

i don't know if its worth getting or to stick to my TV and play games at 60hz.

also on another note i get a lot of screen tearing in games even with v-sync on and triple buffering.

 

[Spuff]

Do you use the game's v-sync or your GPU's?
Because game's own v-sync never works for me, but enabling it on my Nvidia GPU does work.

I wouldn't buy a 120hz monitor unless I'd seen one in action being suitably fed.
Some people don't like the effect of very fast frame or refresh rates being displayed.
The frame rate is determined by your GPU. 120hz is a refresh rate.

 

[4ner]

Even though an i5 is enough for gaming, would get an i7 for 'future proofing'.

 

[robin h 25]

Do you use the game's v-sync or your GPU's?
Because game's own v-sync never works for me, but enabling it on my Nvidia GPU does work.

I wouldn't buy a 120hz monitor unless I'd seen one in action being suitably fed.
Some people don't like the effect of very fast frame or refresh rates being displayed.
The frame rate is determined by your GPU. 120hz is a refresh rate.

I use in game's v-sync, off its very bad, on its a little better but still tearing, but depend on the type game and how bad it gets, AAA like METRO or CRYSIS games gets tearing more then lower end games like World of Tanks which i hardly see tearing but still happens
I did not know their was a in built gpu v-sync option.

I'm happy not to get a monitor if its not worth getting, just leave's me with extra to spend on the PC build if need be or back into my pocket.

 

[bigben]

How is your TV connected to you graphics card?
Most HDMI cables can't carry more that 60hz.

 

[Spuff]

I did not know their was a in built gpu v-sync option.
.

If you have an Nvidia GPU, in the Nvidia Control Panel (which is in Windows Control Panel) you can enable vsync in Manage 3d settings/Program settings (that's not the wearing glasses kind of 3d).

 

[robin h 25]

How is your TV connected to you graphics card?
Most HDMI cables can't carry more that 60hz.

My GTX 690 has 3 DVI ports and a mini HDMI, I don't have any of these leads or port in the TV, but i'm able use a through a DVI to HDMI connector,
On nvidia control panel at change resolution under refresh rate i've got the choice of using 23hz/ 24hz/ 50hz/ 60hz for my TV, i've always had it at 60hz

 

[robin h 25]

If you have an Nvidia GPU, in the Nvidia Control Panel (which is in Windows Control Panel) you can enable vsync in Manage 3d settings/Program settings (that's not the wearing glasses kind of 3d).

Thanks i found it, but too late try it out, with my PC randomly crashing no matter what i try to do on my PC, play games, watch youtube videos, twitch streamers, surfing the internet even just log on to my PC, its got to the point that i feel that every press of each key on my keyboard or every click of my mouse has and will crash my PC at anytime, My current PC has become useless at doing anything.

 

[robin h 25]

I would like to future proof, have a high end maxed out video settings for gaming at(1920x1080) for as long as possible and from time to time make some 1080p gaming video's for my youtube channel

My possible setups i've been looking over at

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM TROOPER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4770 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X FURY DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Hard Disk
240GB INTEL® 730 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 270MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£99)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£69)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour) (£135)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,216.00 including VAT and delivery---- £1,242.00 with the i7- 4770k


or


Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM TROOPER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X FURY DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Hard Disk
240GB INTEL® 730 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 270MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£99)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£69)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour) (£135)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,143.00 including VAT and delivery.---- £1,167.00 with the i5-4670k

Out of these two set ups which would be ideal, also noticing not much of price difference of the i5-4670 and 4670k / i7-4770 and 4770k. i'm willing spend that little bit more on the k's

Last thing is the cpu cooler if the H80i its the right choice, or the H60 at £10 cheaper, because i can do alot of heavy gaming playing up to 8 - 10+ hours in a day and know things can get hot over long periods

Thank you for all the advice and money saving tips, just making sure i've got everything right with the build before i put down an order for one.

Came with budget of £2000 to spend and this £1,242.00 look like at the most i'm likely to now spend.

 

[keynes]

At stock clock speed you don't need the h80i or h60, the triple copper heatpipe is more than adequate. I would go with the first one.