[tokyofist]

Hi Guys,

After having problems over the years with buying Dell computers I decided that I would attempt at building my own PC.

I used to think it beyond me, but from looking at this site and also reading a book my wife bought me, i feel ready to give it a go.

I've drawn up my "shopping list" of components, but would welcome any comments, criticism and advice.

Nzxt Phantom Case
Intel i5 2500k
Gigabyte G1 Sniper 2 S1155 Intel Z68 DDR3 ATX
G.Skill RipjawsZ 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17000 C9 2133Mhz Quad Channel Kit
PNY GeForce GTX 580 Graphics card - 1.5 GB - GDDR5 SDRAM
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 64MB Cache Hard Disk Drive SATA 6 Gb/s 126MB/s <4.2ms 7200rpm - OEM
Intel 311 (Larson Creek) 20GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive
Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP 12x Blu-Ray Combo Drive
Corsair TX 750W ATX2.31 80 PLUS® Bronze certified Power Supply
Edimax 300Mbps 802.11n Wireless PCI Adapter
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
Iiyama ProLite E2407HDS 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black
Roccat Isku Illuminated Gaming Keyboard
R.A.T. 7 Gaming Mouse

Primary function of the PC is for gaming, though I am dabbling a bit in photography and photoshop.

I've estimated this build at around £1800... didn't have a budget as such... wanted to keep it reasonable... but may have got carried away "future proofing" some of the items. lol

Hope you guys can guide me in the right direction.

tokyo

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Hi tokyofist.

Are you an online, deadly serious gamer?
Are you in the UK?

but may have got carried away "future proofing" some of the items. lol

Just a bit.

[iammykyl]

Hi tokyofist.

Are you an online, deadly serious gamer?
Are you in the UK?

but may have got carried away "future proofing" some of the items. lol

Just a bit.

[tokyofist]

Hey iammykyl,

Thanks for the welcome.

I am semi-serious with playing Counter Strike online (in a Clan, and progressing to playing team matches), so I guess I am. I have never had a specialised gaming rig though, but my level of play is ready for the next level me thinks.

I live in the UK.

hahaha I did start out relatively modest... but i get distracted by all the shiney new things.

[iammykyl]

OK. So we will go for a gaming rig that can be expanded later if you get more into photo/video.
Going to start with the Mobo and CPU..

AS you are indicating a high end GPU, I doubt you will every use 2 PCI-E 16 slots but have given that option. Have put up the Sniper and 2 other. The Asrock Extreme4 is the board I recommend. I believe it has everything you will need, selection of video sockets, giving access to the CPU embedded graphics, including Display Port (an option on some monitors)

http://www.scan.co.u...z68#Category753

Asrock, manufacturers product page. http://www.asrock.co...=Specifications

The SB 2500K for gaming has slightly less performance (real world) than the SB 2600K, but the 2600K has multi threading, (hardly used in any game) but a great performance boost in many applications.
Some more reading required before making a final decision whether the extra hundred is worth it for you.