Best bang 4 Buck intel CPU with GTX 660?

SchadenfreudSchadenfreud Posts: 1,382
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I'm looking at building a system for someone, and it's been a while since I've been 'on the scene' so to speak.

I'm currently looking at a i7 3.4ghz build with an Asus P8Z77 deluxe motherboard, but am just wondering if the deluxe mb is a bit overkill (I've no need for on-board graphics)?


The i5/i7 sandy bridge/ivy bridge business is very confusing. I've read that i5 is best for OC etc, but i7 is the top dog but only if used in the right systems etc as it has built in GPU support for on board GPU...

I know whatever I build will be pretty fast and capable, it's just that I want to eek out the best system for the money.

I've been looking at i7 3.4 for as little as £208 (amazon) and The Asus MB for as little as £144.
The GTX 660 2MB OC will come in around the £160 mark.

Overall I'm trying to keep the system under £700 as I'm going to include a decent PSU, memory (corsair) and a SSD (120GB, 500+read/write) Plus a 500Gb HD as well as a decent case.

So far I've got it to £731 total, but not too concerned about this as much as I am about wasting money on a poor MB and CPU combo!

I'm after quality more than anything else, so I'd rather stick with Asus / intel than anyone else atm.

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,302
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    If it's primarily for gaming the i5 is best bang for buck as a i7 won't offer much of an improvement in that area, if at all. I personally would only get a i7 if they're going to do other cpu intensive tasks like video editing/encoding etc where the extra threads (Hype Threading) of the i7 will make a difference and be worth the extra money. There's no difference in GPU with like-for-like i5 and i7 cpus but the "K" versions are the only ones that can be overclocked. The non-"deluxe" motherboards still perform well so I wouldn't pay the extra money if you don't really need all the extra features/ports etc.
  • CaptnSpauldingCaptnSpaulding Posts: 5,370
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    I was in the same position and ended up going the i5 route with a Gigabyte MB.

    All together everything cost £500.

    Specs are;

    Intel i5 3570k
    8GB Corsair Vengeance RAM
    650W OCZ ZS PSU
    Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H motherboard
    MSI Twin Frozr GTX 660
    Seagate Barracuda 500GB HDD

    I can run Battlefield 3 on ultra 1920x1080 at 60fps so I'm happy with it :)

    Just bought a new 2TB HDD and planning on getting an SSD next, then perhaps a new CPU cooler so I can try overclocking.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 78
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    I would second the Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H motherboard with I5-3570k, this combination overclocks well with the stock cooler.
  • SchadenfreudSchadenfreud Posts: 1,382
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    Thanks guys, you've confirmed what I have been reading this morning.
    The i5 3570K doesn't come with built in GPU support, which doesn't matter as we will have the GTX 660. So that's a good chunk of money I can put elsewhere.

    The full system specs I'm looking at are as follows:

    i5 3750k (clocked to 4.5)
    GTX 660 2Mb
    Asus P8Z77 deluxe (He wants the add ons etc.)
    120Gb SSD 500/550 R/W System Drive)
    500 GB HD ( Storage Drive, External storage options already available)
    8Gb Corsair Vengeance 1600 Ram
    Sony Dvd/Rw
    600w PSU (Bronze cert)
    Coolermaster ATX Case

    Any thoughts?

    There's nothing available pre-made that gets close to that for £700, even in the sales.

    Looking forward to seeing how fast this thing will go.
  • CaptnSpauldingCaptnSpaulding Posts: 5,370
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    Which PSU and SSD are you getting?

    When I was building mine I suggested PSU but was told to buy better ones as they are one of the most important components.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
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    Get a good PSU ie Corsair\Antec\Seasonic. PSUs are an investment as you reuse them for 10+ years.

    SSD - I suggest Samsung 840\Sandisk Extreme.

    Replace the stock cooler if you are going to overclock over 4Ghz. Nothing expensive is required ie Arctic Cooler.
  • CaptnSpauldingCaptnSpaulding Posts: 5,370
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    Get a good PSU ie Corsair\Antec\Seasonic. PSUs are an investment as you reuse them for 10+ years.

    SSD - I suggest Samsung 840\Sandisk Extreme.

    Replace the stock cooler if you are going to overclock over 4Ghz. Nothing expensive is required ie Arctic Cooler.

    +1 :D
  • SchadenfreudSchadenfreud Posts: 1,382
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    I've a choice of a couple of PSU's and yes, they are very important. That's why I'm going for a Bronze cert one as they have a cleaner and smoother output as well as being good quality.

    The Sandisk Extreme is one of the SSD's I've been looking at and it's spot on in the price bracket as well.

    I'd like to go for one of the new water cooling CPU coolers, but I can't stretch to that. (Maybe for when I build my own system in the new year :D )
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 78
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    The i5-3750k does have built in graphics (HD4000) which are quiet good for general purpose use. There is an utility that lets you switch between built in graphics and the graphics card. This is so you can use the built in graphics to encode video etx.
  • MrQuikeMrQuike Posts: 18,175
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    Good, timely, thread Schadenfreud. I've been looking at doing much the same thing for upgrading my dual boot Linux Windows machine and come to similar conclusions - i5 3750k but with a Gigabyte MB. Still haven't decided whether to buy an AMD graphics card though. Which ATX case are you looking at? I'd sort of settled on a Coolermaster silencio 550.
  • SchadenfreudSchadenfreud Posts: 1,382
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    MrQuike wrote: »
    Good, timely, thread Schadenfreud. I've been looking at doing much the same thing for upgrading my dual boot Linux Windows machine and come to similar conclusions - i5 3750k but with a Gigabyte MB. Still haven't decided whether to buy an AMD graphics card though. Which ATX case are you looking at? I'd sort of settled on a Coolermaster silencio 550.

    I've gone for a cheaper one in the end. My daughters BF decided he'd rather have better components than a high quality case. This is the one I got in the end.
    Simple, screwless with adequate room.

    I don't blame him really as he'll be looking at the monitor a lot more than he will at the PC, which will probaly end up under a desk somewhere.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 78
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    mrquike go for an Nvidia card as I originally got a amd 7770 card and had problems with monitor resolution and getting drivers to install on Linux. I finally got an GTX660 which is great.
  • MrQuikeMrQuike Posts: 18,175
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    noname2 wrote: »
    mrquike go for an Nvidia card as I originally got a amd 7770 card and had problems with monitor resolution and getting drivers to install on Linux. I finally got an GTX660 which is great.

    Thanks for that. I think I'm leaning that way anyway. :)
  • SchadenfreudSchadenfreud Posts: 1,382
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    Just finished building this system as all the stuff came today.

    All I can say is wow!

    Boots to windows in less than 15 seconds from switch on!

    7.9's across the board :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
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    Good stuff. Turn off Windows Page File - no longer needed if using 8GB of RAM or higher and 64bit OS. Saves trashing the SSD with needless read\writes.

    What make\model of SSD did you go with?
  • SchadenfreudSchadenfreud Posts: 1,382
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    Good stuff. Turn off Windows Page File - no longer needed if using 8GB of RAM or higher and 64bit OS. Saves trashing the SSD with needless read\writes.

    What make\model of SSD did you go with?


    This one, and I'm so impressed I might get one for my system.
    Thanks for the info on the Page File, I'd forgotten about that. :)
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