A good all rounder for under £900

[Brockwinch]

Just about done with contemplating my build now and although I thought I wanted a PC for mostly gaming, well... It turns out I don't.
So after months of reviewing, learning and getting advise from you guys, I've decided to go for a nice little all rounder for under £900 unless anyone has any concerns with this setup?!


Case InWIN BLACK GR-1 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-3770 (3.4GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® P8H61-MX USB3/SI: uATX, USB 3.0, SATA 3.0Gb/s
Memory (RAM) 8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 660 Ti - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk NONE
RAID NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader NONE
Power Supply 450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (£19)
Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£16)
USB Options 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Modem NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Floppy Disk Drive NONE
Firewire NONE
TV Card NONE
Operating System Genuine Windows 8 Standard Edition 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor NONE
2nd Monitor NONE
3rd Monitor NONE
4th Monitor NONE
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables NONE
Eyefinity / GeForce 3D Vision NONE
Keyboard & Mouse NONE
Mouse NONE
Gaming Mouse Pad NONE
Speakers NONE
Webcam NONE
Headsets NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Cable Tidy NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Home Installation NONE
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Miscellaneous FREE £100 IN-GAME VOUCHER with GTX 660 & UPWARDS GPUs!
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £749.17
Price £899.00
Order Quantity 1
Bulk Discount £0.00
Total Order price (Ex VAT) £749.17
Total Order Price £899.00
P/O Number - Edit P/O Number
Payment Method
Wattage. 388w

 

[Teaz]

Looks certainly good, I'd hit that order button if you haven't

 

[mgsolidus]

Great setup, I'd change nothing.

 

[kruppsy]

As long as you're aware that the motherboard doesn't Crossfire/SLI and its SATA ports aren't fast enough to ever take advantage of an SSD...then yea, it looks good. Are you sure you need an i7? you could save a fair bit dropping to an i5 and then upgrade other components. You've probably heard this already though if you've been around the boards a bit. Apols if its all repeats

 

[Brockwinch]

No i welcome all input as I'm only a beginner, I chose the i7 because I want the computer to be fast but I kinda sacrificed the motherboard to get to this goal. So why would I need a ssd and what would you suggest ??

What about this:




Showing Quote Reference 543689
Case InWIN BLACK GR-1 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3470 (3.2GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® P8Z77-M: MICRO-ATX, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM) 8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 660 Ti - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card NONE
3rd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk NONE
3rd Hard Disk NONE
4th Hard Disk NONE
RAID NONE
SSD CACHE DRIVE NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader NONE
Power Supply 450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (£19)
Extra Case Fans 2 x 12CM Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof) (£9)
Fan Controller NONE
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£16)
USB Options 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Modem NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Floppy Disk Drive NONE
Firewire NONE
TV Card NONE
Operating System Genuine Windows 8 Standard Edition 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor NONE
2nd Monitor NONE
3rd Monitor NONE
4th Monitor NONE
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables NONE
Eyefinity / GeForce 3D Vision NONE
Keyboard & Mouse NONE
Mouse NONE
Gaming Mouse Pad NONE
Speakers NONE
Webcam NONE
Headsets NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Cable Tidy NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Home Installation NONE
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Miscellaneous FREE £100 IN-GAME VOUCHER with GTX 660 & UPWARDS GPUs!
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £745.00
Price £894.00
Order Quantity 1
Bulk Discount £0.00
Total Order price (Ex VAT) £745.00
Total Order Price £894.00
P/O Number - Edit P/O Number
Payment Method
Wattage
Maximum Required Power 420W

 

[keynes]

No i welcome all input as I'm only a beginner, I chose the i7 because I want the computer to be fast but I kinda sacrificed the motherboard to get to this goal. So why would I need a ssd and what would you suggest ??
I've also just noticed my motherboard is 3 gb/s and my hard drive is 6 gb/s does this matter and what does it mean ??

If you stick to one thread you could get better feedback. I think the build is for gaming, if that is the case the i7 won't be of much benefit for gaming. An SSD will speed up booting time in windows and when loading applications. To fully benefit from an SSD you would need a motherboard that supports SATA 6gb/s, for the hdd it wouldn't be a problem to stick with the motherboard you selected.

 

[Brockwinch]

What do you thinl about 2 hdd with raid vs just 1 ssd ???

 

[mgsolidus]

Do you need RAID 0 or 1?
If you want an SSD (I'd highly recommend), how about this?

Case
InWIN BLACK GR-1 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-3570 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z77-V LX: USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, ATI®CrossFireX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 660 - DVI, HDMI, VGA - 3D Vision Ready
Free Item
FREE £100 IN-GAME VOUCHER with GTX 660 & UPWARDS GPUs!
Memory - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD5003AZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
4x BLU-RAY ROM DRIVE, 16x DVD ROM (£27)
Power Supply
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
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 8 Standard Edition 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £928.00 including VAT and delivery.
Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-ivy-bridge-pc/xB4n3_mFyb/
---

Or here is something more cost effective:

The 8320 is very similar in performance to the i5-3570, and the Radeon HD 7870 will outperform the 660 ti in most cases.
You're also getting a better power supply and better cooling, all for a lower price. Gotta love AMD.

Case
InWIN BLACK GR-1 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD FX-8320 Eight Core CPU (3.50GHz/8MB CACHE/AM3+)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A97 R2.0(DDR3, USB3.0, 6Gb/s, Windows 8 Ready!)
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ HD7870 - DVI,HDMI,2 mDP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable
Free Item
FREE BIOSHOCK INFINITE & TOMB RAIDER with AMD 7850/7870 GPUs!
Memory - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
500GB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD5003AZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H40 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£39)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
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 8 Standard Edition 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £891.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/amd-bulldozer-top-spec-pc/PIzHfzBn3J/

 

[Brockwinch]

I like the specs on the second one for sure but i've heard some bad things about the h40 cooler and dont really want to go for that but also dont want to spend over 900£.
Bearing in mind my requirements are mostly gaming but also want applications and video to run fast as possible, not so worried about using multiple programs in on go but performance and gaming are high priorities.

 

[mgsolidus]

You could swapout the H40 for the triple copper heatpipe cooler to save £20, or even upgrade it to a H60 whilst taking the gpu down to a 7850 for an extra £1.
Here is the 7850 and 7870 compared,
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=548

 

[Brockwinch]

Might change the gpu's around but unable to install anything other than crosair hydro series coolers because of the amount of cpu cores. This is what the configurator tells me anyway.

 

[mgsolidus]

Ah yea, I forgot about that. Well, the 7850 might be for you. What games do you play?

 

[Brockwinch]

Well i dont play games on pc yet as i have a dell dimmension 3300 but it'll be games like the new sim city and far cry ect.

 

[mgsolidus]

[video=youtube;v02ie7SptQs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v02ie7SptQs[/video]

"FPS(Without Fraps)
Min-26 Max-58 Average-36"

Playable, but only just. Though that is using ultra settings, I guess turning some settings down to high will get you comfortable 40-45 fps average.

 

[Brockwinch]

So do i need to be looking at sacrificing some stuff for a gtx 670 do you think ?

 

[mgsolidus]

A little bit. Here is a 670 build under £900. Note that the ssd is gone, and the processor is down to an FX-6300.

Case
InWIN BLACK GR-1 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD FX-6300 Six Core CPU (3.50GHz/8MB CACHE/AM3+)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A78L-M/USB3 (M-ATX, DDR3, USB 3.0, 3Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 670 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX650 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£69)
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe AMD CPU Cooler (£19)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
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 8 Standard Edition 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £883.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/amd-bulldozer-top-spec-pc/tKt8Kr0M4a/

 

[Brockwinch]

How much will i really benifit from having the ssd? If the answer is 'a lot' then would it be better to go for the i3 as the i5 does'nt hyper thread anyway so i've heard ??

 

[mgsolidus]

i3/i5/i7 all have hyperthreading, but that means little to nothing in regards to gaming.
You will benefit greatly from the SSD, but you will get no increase in fps. Where the SSD will benefit you is boot up times, extracting archive times, rendering video times, opening program (including games) times. You'll be able to open the game and start playing it quicker, but once you are playing, the benefits of an SSD are nowhere to be seen.
You wanted a good all rounder, which is why I included the SSD. Nearly everything you do will be noticeably quicker.

 

[Brockwinch]

Ok i see what your saying so i really i need to spend £1000 to get a good all rounder, thanks

 

[mgsolidus]

I don't think so. I spent £475 plus another £80 for my SSD and extra RAM and I feel like I have a good all rounder. For £900 you'll get an outstanding all rounder in my opinion.