how can i improve this spec

[TSvejstrup]

Hey i have purchased a computer from PCS before and its great (not for me for the little bro) and its finally my turn to upgrade after 5 years on the old dell rig i configured. i want to use this system for SW:TOR on ultra settings when its released and possibly another few games when they come around like Skyrim and watching films etc i will have a 1920x1080p screen

EDIT: budget is 1100 max maybe 1150 if i pushed it (GBP duh )

I have a few queries:

1) im having difficulty choosing between the HD 6970 and Nvidia's GTX 570 ive read alot of reviews on the net and im no closer to choosing which one. i am going for only one graphics card now as i may buy another of the same graphic card in a year or more time so i can run Crossfire or SLI. thats one reason for me choosing max power supply.

2) to overclock or not to overclock for my needs i am aware that OCing reduces CPU lifespan but by how much? i know this computer will probably last me 4-5 years before i get another.

3) i see so many people only getting MoBo onboard sound on these forums and i wonder why? ive always used a PCi sound card and think the quality is great if anyone could tell me why its a waste of money please do as saving money would be nice.

4) i just picked the cheapest Coolermaster tower as i have no clue about the differences in the cases if it is worth buying a more expensive one please let me know and why.





Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 922 MID TOWER GAMING CASE

Overclocked CPU
OVERCLOCKED AMD PHENOM II X6 1100T (3.30GHz @ MAX 3.90GHz)

Motherboard
ASUS® M5A99X EVO:USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, Quad CrossFireX™/SLI™

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 4GB KIT)

Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD6970 - 2 DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
500GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD5002AALX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT

Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W PRO SERIES™ GOLD AX1200-80 PLUS® GOLD MODULAR(£208)

Processor Cooling
COOLIT ECO II A.L.C (ADVANCED LIQUID COOLER) (£59)

Thermal Paste
ARCTIC COOLING MX-3 HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)

Sound Card
Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Titanium (£59)

Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs

USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)

Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL

Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days


i know ive blabbered on for ages but any help would be appreciated
Thanks
TS

 

[Wozza63]

a budget would be nice...

 

[Petchi b]

Case - If you want to add another graphics card in the future then you will need a bigger case, for more space and better cooling etc. Try and get a full tower.

Graphics card - I've got pretty much the same setup as you and I wanted to create an AMD system so I choose the 6970 - in terms of performance its only a few FPS difference. Go with what works best together and what you like because either way it will have no probs running games for the next few years.

Hard Drive - 500GB is not much space these days and for the price its definitely worth getting at least 1TB.

Sound Card - In my opinion unless you spend £100+ on a sound card its not much better than onboard sound. But if thats what you prefer and dont mind spending the cash then why not.

Overclocking - I may try overclocking 1100T myself some time in the future but I have no idea how many years it knocks off the CPU's lifespan. I suppose getting it already overclocked by PCS is the way to go if thats what you want.

Warranty - You might as well spend an extra £5 and get the silver warranty for 1 year collect and return.

Also the free trial software is not really worth bothering with. Hope this helps.

Enjoy your wait

 

[TSvejstrup]

thanks petchi B. yer all the free trial software is there because im to lazy to remove it all when doing this spec sorry and i already have one 500GB hard drive lying around so that should be ok shouldnt it? everyones sig seems to suggest that the HAF-X is the best is there any cheaper full tower worth getting?

and Wozza my budget is around 1100 pounds max, if i really pushed it maybe 1150

 

[Petchi b]

No probs mate. Yeah so 1TB total should be enough. To be honest most full towers will cost at least £100 or so. Its about priorities I suppose - if you are not going to get another graphics card for a least a year or two then why not get a 650W Corsair and use the extra cash you save to get a full tower case? Then when the time comes you can add a bigger PSU with the extra GPU. Probably easier than replacing a smaller case later on..in my opinion anyway.

Just for reference my spec below comes to £1140 including silver warranty (but without Windows 7 as I got that for £67 on Ebay )

 

[Rakk]

1) im having difficulty choosing between the HD 6970 and Nvidia's GTX 570 ive read alot of reviews on the net and im no closer to choosing which one.

A lot people prefer one or the other types for no reason except the fact they've always had that type and its always worked, for instance, I've always have Nvidia and had no problems, therefore I go with what I trust

Basically you're not going to get an unbiased opinion on whether to go Nvidia or AMD - unless it's for lots of picture and video editing where Nvidia tend to have the trump card with their CUDA cores.

2) to overclock or not to overclock for my needs i am aware that OCing reduces CPU lifespan but by how much? i know this computer will probably last me 4-5 years before i get another.

It will shorten the lifespan, but given the actual lifespan of one of these CPUS is about 10-15 years, knocking a few years off wont make much difference since by the time 10 years is up, it'll be the slowest thing out there anyway

 

[Wozza63]

i would steer clear of software from eBay, most are pirate copies better off buying it from here where you know its legit

 

[TSvejstrup]

Ok, looking at the HAF-X now, if i order the set up i more or less have no give or take a few things, would it come with all the fans installed? thanks

 

[Petchi b]

i would steer clear of software from eBay, most are pirate copies better off buying it from here where you know its legit

I am aware of the risks but I also know how to spot a bargain which is the whole point of eBay. I have been a member for nearly 10 years and have not bought any pirate software in all that time.

It's not too hard to spot dodgy sellers or pirated software you just need to be careful and check feedback, location etc - e.g I would never buy anything off someone who is based in Thailand or China..

 

[Petchi b]

Ok, looking at the HAF-X now, if i order the set up i more or less have no give or take a few things, would it come with all the fans installed? thanks

As far as I'm aware it comes with fans apart from one slot, where you could fit your own later. I think PCS though will add extra case fans if required.