My old desktop, a 4-year-old HP Pavilion a5058d (full specs), can play TS2 smoothly when I upgraded my turtle-slow 512MB RAM to a 3GB even though the built-in graphics card's performance is passable. But when I played TS3, the game crashes and restarts since the card isn't fully capable of running the game.

I have been planning to upgrade every hardware from the old desktop to suit The Sims series' system specs and also to my other games (e.g.: The Sims Medieval, Portal 2, Beyond Good & Evil, etc.). I visited the computer shop beside the office I where work and asked for some price breakdowns on the specs I've been eyeing on and the staff are also helpful in choosing the parts that really fit and are compatible with which hardware.

As of today, here are the specs I've been saving up to buy:

• ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z motherboard
  ATI Radeon HD 6770
  Silverstone Strider Plus SST-ST50F-P 500 Watt power supply
  Intel Core i7 3.4GHz processor
  Western Digital 2TB hard drive
  2 pieces of 4GB DDR3 RAM
  64 bit Windows 7 Home Premium

The overall cost in local currency as of yesterday is 56,630 Pesos, including the anti-virus. I know the price is way too big but for the sake of a good gaming experience, I'd save up for it.

I need some more advice if the hardware specs I found are great for The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 Series to work and also suggestions are open, especially if I should also change the casing for cooling purposes. Thanks so much in advance.

That is one behemoth of a system!
And 56,630 Pesos is approx USD1400? The specs are good for Sims games (still a tad overkill, but not by much), but if you play a lot of other intensive games, and you have the budget for it, I guess decision is yours. "Future-proofing"-wise, it has a lot of potential. I might just make a slight change and add an SSD for the OS, just a small one @80-120GB if budget permits, and change the HDD to 1.5GB.

The Optical and monitor/keyboard/mouse are the only ones being transferred over, then?
What monitor and resolution do you play on?

Change the casing, but what is the casing? You're not getting a new one? Casings usually fit motherboards from certain "eras", as the ports and placement of the motherboards change for certain sockets and technologies. And pre-built casings are the worst, some of them are not able to fit general retail parts not from their own factories.
Is the current PSU mounted at the top or bottom? And the new PSU is mounted at...?

Thanks so much, ella. Okay here's what I got so far in regards to your questions and suggestions:

I own a one-year-old Samsung LCD monitor (it looks like this but sized 19" compared to the 24" one on the site). And yes, I'll only retain the monitor, keyboard and possibly the mouse (I got used to holding small USB mice and I sorta outgrew the big old desktop one that hurts my palm when I hold it for a long period).

The old desktop's PSU's at the top of the system and the clerk who helped me choose the PSU said that it can fir on top. I asked the guy at the shop about changing the casing and he said that there's a possibility. I mean the current casing of the desktop. He suggested to me that I should change it as well if needed.

The reason why I chose a 2TB HDD is that I share the desktop with my sister. She's a TV series fan and she DLs every new episode of shows such as Gossip Girl, Glee, etc. every time there's a new episode released. And she also DLs songs and movies that are from 699MB to 1+GB big so it's a big strain in my part since I end up sacrificing/deleting my files to loosen up free space.

Also, I chose the specs since I also want to play other games aside from The Sims Series. I've been eyeing on the Left 4 Dead series, Bulletstorm and Team Fortress 2 to name a few.

About the solid state drive for the OS, I'll ask the shop again if they can assist me with it once I upgrade. But I'll definitely be keeping the 2TB HDD and make sure that I have a lot of free space for the games and other software such as iTunes and CCleaner.

As for the monitor's resolution, I'll update this post as soon as I get home from work. My guess is 1024x768 but I'm not really sure of it.

Ella, as promised, I have the current resolution size of my desktop which I also play TS2 and TS3 with: the resolution's 1280x768.

I also triple-checked the PSU and it's located in the upper right backside of the CPU.

And for more reference, I took some snaps of the desktop, especially the CPU casing

Since the PSU is modular, I think it may fit no matter the orientation (top or bottom), but it may not fit the holes at the back or the fan exhaust may be facing the wrong way, and then you'd have ventilation issues.

You checked the length of that GPU can fit in that casing? HP pre-built casings are usually a bit small to fit regular GPUs, so you may need to change casings after all. If nothing else, for good ventilation to prevent meltdowns.

If you're not going to change the Monitor anytime soon, you can perhaps downgrade the CPU+Mobo a tier and place the budget towards a good casing + that SSD. I guess it depends on how long this purchase is projected to last you for? Is it cheaper and easier to replace Monitor or the CPU+Mobo where you're at?

From the looks and length of the box the Silverstone PSU displayed at the computer store looks like the HP casing couldn't fit it.

Based on experience, the cheaper change is mostly on the monitor. My family bought the Samsung SyncMaster 933 LCD last year when the original 17" HP one that was included in the package finally gave up after it overheated twice. I'm not changing the monitor since I prefer it to the old one (much bigger and less bulky), but it depends if needed for the hardware specs to match but hopefully it's not needed.

Regarding CPU+Mobo, from my specs list, the ASUS mother board costs 12,495 in Philippine Pesos. I saw a lot of casings sold at the computer store, possibly with a price range from 1,000-3,000+ Pesos and the overall will depend on which motherboard and CPU casing will you purchase, which is most of the time, super costly, epsicially if it's for gaming.

I was initially thinking to ask you to downgrade the GPU as you play at a low resolution, but the price difference is not that much to make any difference towards making a dent in the casing budget. But it may mean you can fit it in the casing better (single-slot, low-profile versus dual-slot, higher thermal emissions) and thus need not replace the casing at all. With the trade-off of graphics quality when you play, of course.
Decision depends on which is more important to you...

I also think it is easier to replace a Monitor than a CPU+Mobo combo, for what it's worth.

Not that I play at low res but it's because the lettering and icons are smaller when I expand the resolution.

My mother doesn't like to use the PC when it's in a higher resolution due to the shrinking of the font sizes and icons which she really hates since it gives her eye strains. Although it looks fine when expanded more the icons get smaller and there are sometimes black borders on the left and right or upper and lower side which I find annoying.

The built-in Intel 82945G Express Chipset also makes video viewing laggy sometimes and moving in places during gaming get really lagged and choppy (especially when I play Beyond Good & Evil wherein Jade moves from area to area on every mission). Also, the games get all pixellated a bit and it looks ugly, especially on The Sims 2 series if you zoom in the clothing while at CAS or in live mode you can see square textures of the clothes' fabric such as bikinis.

I'm gonna re-consult the tech guy at the store soon. Maybe I'll bring along the desktop to see if I do need to change the casing or not.

I almost forgot. The night after we bought the LCD monitor the original resolution is more then 1280x768 since the monitor automatically set the new res right after we turned it on. I only changed the resolution to the current one since my mother finds the font size and icons too small to look at.

I hope this additional info helps.

Oh, I'm not questioning your choice of resolution, we all use what we're comfortable with.

I'm just trying to juggle the budget around so you can get the casing without spending more. If you're set on the specs you posted, then you need to increase the budget to get a good casing which wasn't originally part of the purchase plan. Just giving options.

karnzter, are you aware windows allows you to scale interface so it could be comfortable to use it with higher resoultions?

I'm cool with more options, Ella. I just need more suggestions just in case something might probably lack or overdo on my planned specs

As for Lance's question, sadly no. In fact, I only found out about interface scaling through your post. I've been Googling it and gonna read what I found to learn more.


P.S.: Sorry if I'm a bit of a noob regarding hardware and software. I have some stocked knowledge from the help of my cousins who are also gamers and Simmers but not most of the info that I've only found out through the MTS forums...

Set your monitor to its native (recommended) resolution then go to control panel -> appearance and personalization -> display and the first screen there allows you to scale the interface to 125% or 150%. If that's still not enough, there's option to the left "set custom text size (dpi)" which allows you different values.

Am I the only one that finds 1400 USD for the setup above expensive? I also second ella's recommendation of downgrading the CPU. The i7 @3.4 Ghz you mentioned is probably an i7-2600, which is usually about 60 USD more expensive than an i5-2500K. The i5-2500K is 3.3Ghz and definitely won't bottleneck you on any of the games you mentioned. You can even get an i5-2500 regular for a total savings of approx 80USD. You could drop those 80 USD in a new case or even help pay for the SSD. I don't recommend an SSD yet though. Maybe in a year or two. They are still quite unreliable and are a luxury purchase in my opinion.

I posted a thread with a list of my future PC gaming rig specs on the same thread last year.

Unexpectedly, the computer store beside the office added new PC hardwares on their stocks that were, in my opinion, better from some of the previous specs. I revisited the store last night and today to do a new quotation from the new specs I've been eyeing since last year.

The staff from the store were kind enough to help me choose my specs, especially the motherboard (my plan was supposed to be an Asus Rampage IV motherboard but the biggest processor they sold isn't compatible with it due to the number of the board and the processor's socket). The following below, with link added, are what the staff suggested to me:

SilverStone Precision PS05 casing
Intel Core i7-3770K Processor
Seagate Barracuda desktop hard drive
A4Tech ComfortKey RoundEdge Keycaps KR-8520D keyboard and mouse set
ASUS Maximus IV Extreme motherboard.
Kingston HyperX 16GB DDR3 RAM (model number: KHX160009D3X1K4. My guess that it may be the HyperX Genesis but I remember the saleslady tell me a few hours ago that it has only one 16GB RAM and not four 4 GB RAMs as what I searched on Kingston's website)
SilverStone Strider Gold 850W power supply
Intex UPS 1050 VA IT-1050V uninterrupted power supply unit
PowerColor Radeon HD 6870 X2 (PowerColor Radeon HD 6770 or a PowerColor Radeon HD 6870 as a second potential option)
Asus DRW-24B3ST internal DVD drive
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Cooler Master TPC 812


Regarding the monitor, the salesman last night suggested me two 23" LED monitors that can comply with the 8670 X2 graphics card:
Acer S230HL bd
Samsung Wide Screen S23B300B


The overall price in Philippine Pesos is either:
PHP 94,560 if ever I get the Acer monitor and the 6870 X2 GPU
PHP 95,635 if ever I get the Samsung monitor and the 6870 X2 GPU
PHP 82,035 if ever I get the Acer monitor and the 6770 GPU
PHP 83,060 if ever I get the Samsung monitor and the 6770 GPU
PHP 85,565 if ever I get the Acer monitor and the 6870 GPU
PHP 86,590 if ever I get the Samsung monitor and the 6870 GPU


I intentionally maxed the specs since I use Photoshop for making GIFs I post on my Tumblr and for bigger free space on the hard drive for future files and games I might store and install the near future. I was also wondering if the massive changes in specs for my future gaming PC is good enough for games like The Sims 2 series, The Sims 3 series, Portal series, Left 4 Dead 2, Skyrim and Beyond Good & Evil. Other hardware suggestions are openly welcome. Thanks so much in advance. :D

What motherboard are you going to use? What CPU fan? are you going to overclock that 3770K? Do you really need/want a UPS?

I forgot to add in the motherboard to the list and already added it after I noticed the lacking information. I'm planning to get the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme motherboard. It was supposed to be the Rampage IV Extreme but the processor's sockets won't match the motherboard's.

CPU fan: I forgot to add that to the quote. I'll update the list and the overall price once I get back from the store.

I'm thinking of overclocking the i7 but I also need some second opinions from my cousins who have an i7 in their gaming rig and to the technician and the salesman at the store just to be sure.

As for the UPS, the salesman suggested it to me since using a standard 220V 'transformer' (that's how we call it here), which I use on my old desktop, isn't enough.

Why do you need a 'transformer'? Can you take a picture of this 'transformer' and show me? Sounds like the salesman is selling you something you don't need. Philippines is 220V 60Hz, and that PSU can accept that.

Also what is it about the Maximus IV Extreme that you particularly wanted? It's an older motherboard that was designed with Sandy Bridge in mind and extreme overclocking. You don't seem to be doing extreme overclocking. If you're going to use an Ivy Bridge processor I'd really recommend using a Panther point motherboard like Maximus V Formula or P8Z77-V Pro. Also that RAM model number doesn't seem to exist. Are you sure you got it right?

The configuration is weird. Seems like its all over the place.

Also what GPU are you using now?

The family laptop, a Dell Inspiron 14R, which I use to play The Sims 2, The Sims 3 (formerly, since I had to uninstall the entire TS3 series to make room for Steam and the games I got) and two Steam-based games, runs on ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 with an approximately 1746MB of total memory. It has a RAM of 2GB and an i3 350M processor with a speed of 2.27 GHz.

I chose the Maximus IV Extreme since I was hoping it can be one of the many specs than can improve my games' performance and graphics since I've been struggling and dealing with a couple of bugs from TS3 and how the laptop gets hot during gameplay. I currently play and use the laptop sans its battery since it finally gave up last year from too much playing and extended use. Also, the Maximus IV Extreme, Rampage IV extreme and the Maximus IV Gene-Z/Gen 3 were the only three ASUS Republic of Gamers motherboards in stock.

I started getting concerned with PC specs when I had a graphic-related issue with TS2 and TS3 a few years back. My cousins who visited us for a holiday suggested me that I should upgrade my desktop (which runs on an integrated GPU). I've seen their gaming rig when we went to Manila on holiday and it was absolutely pretty. They chipped in a lot of money to buy the hardware and the parts (they're siblings of 3 boys) and installed Battlefield 3 on it. They didn't run the game to show me though due to time constraints. Also, I've been scouting computer store in the city and in town for more than 3 years to check for potential good specs. PC specs here cost a lot and some of them have a price that's almost the equivalent of a 250GB Xbox 360 S with the Kinect and two games bundle. And I, myself, is the only one saving up for the entire thing since I didn't want to involve my parents and my sister on something pricey and huge like this.

I may have to go back to the computer store to ask them if they're sure they got the right model for the RAM (and also to ask for the CPU fan that I deliberately forgot to add to the quote), but I kinda feel awkward since I've been going back there twice for two days just to add in another missing spec to the quotation.

I'll make sure to ask the salesguys for a suitable CPU fan and quintuple-check the RAM's model and take snaps of the 'transformer' (I dunno what's the exact term of it but that's how we usually call possibly power supplies or UPSs on the PC) by tomorrow.

I'm glad you're also helping me out on getting the appropriate hardware to do the trick. Thanks again.

To be honest, I think you should go with a lesser system and not overclock. You're still going to see a HUGE difference compared to what you already have and the games you listed aren't exactly new anymore. The system is overkill at 1920x1080 and will play them all easily.

What is your budget? How many monitors do you plan on using? I'm assuming you need to purchase a new keyboard, mouse and windows license along with the monitor? Maybe we can design something better suited to your needs...

Oh and wouldn't it be easier to just email them? They're a computer company, I'd assume they have email.

Do you want the other thread to be merged with this one? I'd prefer it, actually, so I don't have to go back and forth to see what was discussed before. Because with the number of threads I read and answer in a day, I usually forget what the topic's about and just read the whole thread over.

Which would take me awhile longer to respond to the questions you have here, just so I can revisit the other thread and then verify the new parts you've listed up there.
Among all those applications you listed, Skyrim is the most resource-intensive and the latest, correct? I should also probably remind you to take a look at the System Requirements of games/Apps you plan on buying in the coming year(s), for the duration that you have a good gaming PC.

But, ajaxsirus does make a good point.
There's so much "future-proofing" one can do that borders on wasted effort if the price is too high, just because components get refreshed with newer and better specs every 6 months or so.
If you don't do those distributed computing projects like Folding@Home or SETI@Home (among others), don't overclock, don't plan on getting more than one or bigger monitors, don't plan on getting multiple (more than 2) graphic cards in quad-SLI/Crossfire, the CPU and motherboard is a tad overkill, and you can probably channel that into getting an SSD.
The Powercolor GPU is a bit of a risk, in my opinion. I bet it is cheaper to get two separate HD 68xx cards than to get that particular model. And now that the HD 78xx are out, it might be even better to just get one HD 7870 card for now, and if you feel you need more graphics processing power, you can always get the 2nd one later, when prices drop a tad in 3-6months. Crossfire does not need identical AMD Radeon card models, just as long as they are Radeon HD cards. Historically, Sims have issues with dual-GPU systems (need to turn one card off to play), I don't know if this is still true today, though.
Remember, too, that current motherboards take RAMs in pairs - dual channels. So don't get a single stick RAM kit. Buy a kit that has a pair of memory sticks.

Is the electric current off the wall socket in the Philippines very unstable or fluctuates a lot? Lots of voltage spikes? Why would you need a transformer? Do each electrical appliance use one?
Or you just use it as a backup power source in case of blackouts?

In reply to ajaxsirius:
Regarding budget: any will do. I'd go greater lengths and endure long sacrifices to get the computer of my dreams. I got my Wii saving up 85% of my daily college allowance once.

I'll only use one monitor. Two or more just increases the total price.

The computer store is just 10 steps away from where I work. That's where we usually buy our ink cartridges for the office. The office is sometimes quite so I can get to got out for a couple of minutes and check.

I already listed the keyboard and mouse set and the OS I'm planning to use. If you have suggestions that's very okay with me.

Also, the guy at the computer shop suggested me this CPU cooler: a Cooler Master TPC 812.



In reply to Ella:
I'm okay with merging this thread with the previous one for convenience.

Yep. Skyrim's the latest game I got (aside from Left 4 Dead 2). I do check the specs on the games I got I especially the TS3 series. LFD2 already gave me a popup regarding my outdated card and I never got the chance to update its drivers for more than three months due to personal reasons.

I'm not sure regarding the electrical power here in the PH. Usually we get unexpected blackouts without any warning from the electric company.

Not all electric appliances use 'transformers', but fuse boxes, especially on our house's airconditioning. If we don't use the AC that much or one's broken, we just turn off the fusebox. Yes, I decided to get the UPS just in case while I'm using the PC and the power goes off, I have backup power supply I can use temporarily.

The store used to have a 6870 that's not the X2 version. They don't have the latest models like the 6900-7800 series. Regarding RAM, they might have miscalculated and they might be selling the HyperX Genesis that has 4 4GB RAMs to makeup the 16GB since I checked the model number ASUS listed on their site a lot of times and it's nearly identical with the one on the list sans the X1 included on the model number listed on my quotation sheet.



In reply to ajax and Ella about the 'transformer' and two possible better GPUs than the 6870X2:
It wasn't actually named transformer. It's actually named AVR (automatic voltage regulator). I have snaps of the AVR my Vista-powered desktop currently uses. I didn't have time to resize them since I'm currently at work.










The store currently has a 1GB GDDR5 PowerColor Radeon HD 6770 in stock. They quoted me the out-of-stock PowerColor Radeon HD 6870, which I can purchase as a made-to-order part and I have to deposit the payment. The 6770 costs PHP 5,370 (PHP 12,525 less than the 6870X2) while the 6870 costs PHP 8,900 (PHP 8,995 less than the crossfire version) but I dunno if the two are compatible for Showtime, Katy Perry Sweet Treats, Diesel Stuff, Supernatural and Seasons, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 which my sister's been pleading me to buy. If I change/downgrade my planned GPU from the 6870X2 to the 6770 or 6870 standard is it still okay?

I know this is getting a bit complicated and really messy in a technical sort of way but thanks again to the two of you for helping me out.

That's a voltage regulator.

Here's the thing. If you're just a regular computer user ie. gaming, web, videos etc. Then you don't really need a UPS. It's a lot of money for little benefit. I'm not saying the benefit isn't there, it's just that if the power does cut, worst case scenario you have to reload a previous save. Your videos and web content will be unaffected. I would say only get a UPS if you're doing IMPORTANT work on that PC.

As for the voltage regulator, only you can decide if you really need one. Massive voltage spikes can definitely damage your computer. However, in the 15+ years I've been using computers I've never had one damage because of voltage spike. With minor fluctuations your PSU will be able to cope. It'll be less efficient for sure, but your hardware will be okay. If you think you need a voltage regulator, then get one that will accommodate your computer. But the UPS seems like overkill to me.

As for GPU I asked because if you already had a 6870 I would have said go ahead and get a second. But since you don't have any GPU, I would say get a 7950, you're going to have to get it specially ordered anyway. Performance will be slightly lower than 2x 6870 but cost will be similar. The added advantage is that power draw will be less, you can save on the PSU, you don't have to deal with crossfire drivers and it increases the useful life of your computer. 3 years from now if the 2x 6870 can't keep up, you're screwed. They'll be thrown out or resold for nearly nothing. However if 3 years from now if the 7950 can't keep up, you can buy another, pop it in and presto! Crossfire scaling is better every generation, so 6XXX scaling will be better than 7XXX.

Here's what I suggest:

Get a i5-3570K with the after market fan the store recommended. You're not on a tight budget so you can afford to get the K version and only overclock later on if you feel the need to. If you KNOW you're using programs that benefit from HT, then get the 3770K. Games don't really benefit from HT. Be sure to buy some good Thermal Interface Material and re seat the fan yourself if temperatures look wrong.
Then get a different motherboard like the Maximus V Formula or P8Z77-V or P8Z77-V Pro. Those three are full ATX boards that'll have enough room for a second card later. The Asus Sabertooth also comes with lifetime warranty if that interests you.
After you know what motherboard you want, go to its webpage and look at the Qualified Vendor List (QVL) for memory. Choose your RAM from that list. Get 2x 4GB DDR3 1600 1.5V. Don't get anything above 1.5V, lower is okay. Cas latency isn't really going to make a difference so get whatever is cheapest as long as it's 1.5V DDR3 1600Mhz. If you want a recommended brand, G.Skill is good reputation, Kingston is good value.
Skip the UPS, get a new AVR if you think you need it.
Get a different PSU, like the Corsair TX550 or CX600. They have better reviews than the Silverstone and they cost less. By the time you need to buy a new GPU, your current PSU will already be 3+ years old and efficiency will be down. Buy a new PSU when or if you buy a second GPU.
Get a Samsung Hard drive instead of seagate. I've only heard bad things about those. Get whatever capacity you need, but don't get more than 2TB. I think things get complicated when you use Hard Drives with capacity greater than 2TB.
Get a small SSD for your OS. Samsung 830 or Crucial M4. Get 128GB or get 256GB if you want to splurge.

Many, many, many thanks, Sirius!

I'm Googling ever single spec you suggested and checking reviews on Newegg. I just hope most of the parts are on the store near the office so that I don't have to go out of the office or at home just to scout every PC store in the city [I work 6 days a week, even on holidays since the place where I work's inside a town mall (except Christmas and holy week) and only have the Sunday off so it's tough to find the right day and time to go out], or even end up ordering online as a last resort.

I have to ask though regarding the hard drive: if I couldn't find a Samsung HDD, is Western Digital an okay second option?

On the RAM that supports a certain motherboard: I'm interested in the Maximus V Formula and I checked its QVL and noticed that the RAMS have a voltage of 1.65-1.66V, not the suggested 1.55V. Should I stick to what the QVL recommended or go for your suggestion?

I Googled for a 2TB Samsung hard drive and the first result was from Newegg for the Samsung EcoGreen F4 ST2000DL004 2TB 32MB cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" internal hard drive-bare drive. Is the hard drive I found a suitable choice in your opinion?

On the SSD, I'm getting either the SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256D/AM 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Desktop Upgrade Kit or a Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). But I'm a bit worried with Crucial's since some of the reviews stated that their computers would go on blue screen.

So, to summarize, I'm getting the following as per your suggestion:
Intel Core i5-3570K processor
Cooler Master TPC 812
ASUS Maximus V Formula motherboard
PowerColor Radeon HD 7950
Corsair TX550 PSU
Samsung EcoGreen F4 ST2000DL004 2TB 32MB cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" internal hard drive-bare drive (if okay)

The only speed bump I currently have is the RAM and the SSD. On the SSD, it's either the Samsung 256GB or the Crucial M4 128GB (but after seeing some of the reviews on the M4 I'm starting to have second thoughts).

If I get the chance to go to the city within this month, fingers crossed hope I find everything that's listed.

HDD: Yeah, that's the one I have. If you can't get the Samsung get the seagate. They're both manufactured by Seagate and same price but for some reason the Samsung one has better reputation. All I know is that the Samsung I bought was cheap and works great for what I need it for (storage).
SSD: Get the Samsung if you're worried about the Crucial. That's what I'm getting at the end of the month (although I'm only getting 128GB).
MB: For the Maximus V Formula if you go to page 7 of the Memory QVL pdf you'll see plenty of DDR3 1600 RAM at 1.5V, I see G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL(XMP) 1.5V and Kingston KHX1600C9D3P1K2/8G 1.5V.
CPU Cooler: Ask them what Thermal Interface Materials they have for sale. You don't need much, just a small syringe.

Also you should watch out for overpriced items. You have access to Newegg and can use it as a baseline for price comparison. For example Hard Drives are usually priced competitively since both high end and mass consumer computers use the same drives. If the samsung/seagate drive is 30% more expensive in the Philippines then other things should see around the same increases. If it's 30%-50% more then that seems normal, but if its double the price of newegg (100% increase), then that is overpriced and i'd think about looking for a more reasonably priced alternative.