I certainly like the styling. It's restrained, so it manages to look nice by not trying too hard. I hate vulgar cases with plastic windows and LED's.

That said, there are cases with better cooling. The Antec has got two 120mm fans and room for three more, which is pretty unremarkable for a full-size case. For instance, my friend's got a BitFenix Outlaw miditower which costs 100€ less around here and has more room for fans, although it's a pretty extreme case (pun intended). If you want something with more potential for cooling upgrades in the future, consider the BitFenix Shinobi XL, Silverstone Raven 3, NZXT Phantom or some such.

EDIT: Of course you should also consider quietness and overall airflow (no sense blowing tonnes of air into the case if things get ruined by turbulence). I've got little experience when it comes to PC cases, so I'm probably not the best person to consult here.

I'll heartily second both of these points. Unless you're planning to expand your system to include 3-way SLI and RAID while doing some serious overclocking you can save yourself $150-200 while still getting a killer motherboard that will do everything your build needs it to do. I'd recommend actually toning the board down even further to something like a MSI Z77A-G45 or a GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H. The higher priced motherboards don't necessarily buy you quality, but rather features like SLI, RAID, and greater overclocking capabilities. If you're not planning to use any of these features then you're just throwing your money away. CPU advice is also dead on.

I'll also add a comment about the PSU- the listed unit is a very good choice, except for one thing, that it's not modular. Now, with the case you chose you will have room to store the wad of unused cables, but it will disrupt your airflow a bit and can be a right pain to deal with if you ever have to go messing around in the case yourself. All this may or may not be a significant factor for you, but I just wanted to be sure to point it out. My recommendation for an alternative would be the CORSAIR Professional Series HX750.

Hmm... Not sure if I agree about these. When it comes to the PSU, it is kinda nice to have that extra power, just in case he decides to upgrade his machine with a high-power component. Then again, all PC components use ever less energy with each generation, but still; little extra juice by the side isn't that much more expensive, could be good to have just in case...
Abou the graphics card: I say go fo the present gen high-end such as the Radeon 7950 or Geforce equalent. There are already games that would tax lesser cards, and he would probably have to upgrade already next year to keep up, if he wants to play every game at its top setting. A modern high end card doesn't get that outdated before two-three years, lesser cards get outdated faster. It also depends on what monitor or monitor setup he wants to play on. If there's only a single display with native resolution of 1080p or therearounds, then a lower high-end card would do just fine. Higher resolutions with high effects like antialiasing could quickly require a higher end card.
Suffice it say the Radeon 7950 will probably do just fine indeed. Most people are hopefully luckier then I have been with AMD hardware.

At least, that is what the industry want us to think. On both issues.

Having more power is nice, but comes at a cost. The question is "how much reserve do you need and what do you plan for the future ? ". If the system is meant to stay as it is, 800 W offers something like a 300 W margin ... . I'm not even sure that it is that good for the PSU itself to run quite constantly under its normal output ( although in this case, 800W is not that excessive, but then wouldn't 1000 or 1200W be even better? My answer on this is a clear NO , that would just be a waste of money ).

As for the GPU, what makes me sad with that argument is that is leads to replace top of the range, 400 + bucks cards after 12-18 months. That's a waste of money and valuable resources . The GPU industry surely knows how to create "needs", and create them again and again ( so easy to manipulate us human beings with arguments suc as "I have the power" or "bigger = better" .

Sure there will always be this or that (badly optimized) game that will tax the GPU. There is even one ( Metro 2033) that will not playwell at max setting on any current GPU. And then, will that game even be played ? or even played t these settings ?
And if so, will one make the difference between 40 and 50 FPS ? the OP mentionned CIV V. . with a decent CPU, @1920x1080 , 4xAA , a 7950 gives something like 65-70 FPS, a Geforce 670 : 60-65 FPS, a radeon 7870 : 60-68 and a Geforce 560 ti : 50-55. Honnestly, most gamers won't even see the difference between 50 and 70 Fps...

Yep, I guess I agree about rhe PSU then. 800 Watt is quite a lot. Still... You know, when I build machines, the PSU is the first thing goes into the enclosure, and usually either the last thing to come out, or the only thing that remains. So I just figure, it might be good to have that one component as future-proof as a PC component can get. But yeah, you are right; 800 Watt seems overkill.

About graphics card: oh no, no, I think you misunderstood me. When I say get a high end graphics card, its because those cards usually remain high end for years to come. When I buy a graphics card, I usually think ahead three-four years. I think in contingency, that I might try different setups and games without having to upgrade my hardware for a while, and I would personally rather go with a card that's way too powerful, rather than one that's just powerful enough. That's me though, and I'm probably kinda crazy. :-P
The thing is, if you get a Radeon 7950 or Geforce 670, those cards will be able to run every game that is out now, and most games to come for at least the next couple of years (or three) with most setting on high, very high and ultra, and have extra bandwidth in case you upgrade your monitor to one with higher native resolution, or get a multi-monitor surround setup.
There's also the fact that game developers are gearing for the next gen now. I read recently that Epic uses a Core i7 with a Geforce 680 as their primary development platform for Unreal Engine 4, so that seems to be their guess at where the next gen is going to be. I think if a guy is interested in playing both present and future AAA titles, and have them looking and playing as good as can be, then now might be a bad time to compromise on the graphics front.

It depends on what mozzington wants though - bang for buck, or premium experience. If it's the latter (and it looks that way from the components in his setups, and that he says price is no object), then I think he should go for the most current gen cards. If it's the former, then the Geforce 560ti is indeed a mighty fine card that will serve him well. :-)

Morning all,

I think taking everything into account I will just go ahead with what has been specced up by the shop. You guys have been really helpful, in particular with the advice about PSU, motherboard and cases.

To be fair to the shop I did tell them I'd be looking to upgrade in a couple of years time and to build it with that in mind.

Phc, you are correct. I am buying this for CIV5 mainly. It seems instead of optimising their games they make them less efficient.

PS. Would you guys say this was worth £1600.00?

It is and it isn't. The price is diven by some components that are "naturally" expensive : a "geek" motherboard has a mark-up. If you want these components, then yes, 1600 quids is the price to pay.

Now, do not misunderstand me. The money used on a better case, on a better PSU are good investments. A bad case or a bad PSU can ruin your own config, so the 80 pounds you could save on these components may end up wasting a 1000 £ .

The additional money you use on a CPU and the Graphic card are not totally lost either, but you must be aware that you treat yourselve with a luxury. This has its price. But it's like treating yourselve with a good meal or a fine bottle of wine.

The only component I am truly skeptical about is the motherboard. A z77 chipset brings true benefits with Ivy bridge CPUs, so the more expensive z68 MB isn't optimal.

I'd say no. I priced out those components you listed on Newegg, and even going with the higher price whenever there was ambiguity (e.g. Win7 OEM vs Win7 full) they came in at just under $2000 (£1270 at the current conversion rate). Evening assuming the place you're buying through is paying retail prices for all the parts (and unless parts are significantly more expensive across the pond), that's still a pretty hefty labor fee they're tacking on. Add to that the fact that I'd still contend you're paying too much for components that you're not going to be getting any significant benefit out of (compared to significantly less expensive alternatives) and I'd say you're wasting quite a bit of money if you pay £1600 for that.

That ROG board supports sata 3. I have a crucial 64 gb SSD in my new rig and it screams. I wish i would have bought a higher capcity drive. I skipped the ROG board, and saved about $80 dollars, although i have to admit the Red/Black color scheme is very cool.

Parts are significantly more expensive in Europe. Both because of taxes and of a systematic markup by the industry. ( The US market is more competitive, so global industries mark their margins up in other regions ).

f.i. : the motherboard is priced at 339 usd, right. Here it'saround 289 £ or 369 € ( 440 to 460 USD ). A 30% mark-up.

Good to know. I stand corrected then.

So it's probably not too bad then. I do a bit of business through the company I work for through the same shop so they do class me as a "great customers" allegedly and haven't put much on for labour - or so they say.

Gents, this arrived a few days ago and oh my, what a system! Totally on top of my CIV5 now. Thanks for all the advice and to confirm, my final setup was as follows:

3.5ghz.
8.0gb RAM.
AMD HD 7900.
Antec performace one p183.
Corsair Gamer series GS800 .
Asus Maximum IV extreme Republic of gamers edition – amasing board!
I7 3770k.
Corsair a50 - great over clocking heatsink!
2x 4gb XMS3 1600 DDR3.
256 crucial sata 3 SSD.
1TB sata 2ndary sata 3 – Windows 7 home premium 64x

That's quite a system there. Glad to hear you got it all put together and working well.