Advice Appreciated

Zux · Nov 24, 2013

Hello Chaps,

New to the forum and looking to make my first purchase shortly.
Here is what I had in mind, the system will be almost exclusively used for gaming (and other more basic tasks ofc).

Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE

Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™i5-4670k Quad Core (3.40GHz @ max 4.20GHz)

Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB2.0, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPERX BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2400MHz X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)

Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)

2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ MODULAR TXM-650 V2-80 PLUS® (€96)

Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (€72)

Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (€11)

Sound Card
Asus Xonar DG 5.1 SoundCard & Headphone AMP (Award Winner) (€31)

Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (€96)

Price: €1,394.00 including VAT and delivery.

If you guys have any thoughts on what would be more appropriate that would be great. The budget tops out at around €1500 or so.

Thanks in advance.

keynes · Nov 24, 2013

If it is for gaming only I wouldn't worry about overclocking the cpu, you also won't notice the difference between 1600mhz and 2400mhz. I would drop the overclock, get a better case and push for the GTX 780 instead.

Zux · Nov 24, 2013

First off thanks for the quick reply.

I think thats probably sound advice regarding the OC.
Would you have any ideas as to which case would be more suited?

keynes · Nov 24, 2013

coolermaster 690. Getting a GTX 780 will provide a significant improvement in performance that you won't get with a gtx 770 + overclocked i5.

Zux · Nov 24, 2013

Gotcha, I'll go have a fiddle with the spec then for a bit.
Thanks again for your help so far.

Zux · Nov 24, 2013

Ok so I think I revised my build for the better with your advice in mind, could you have a look at it for me?

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® MAXIMUS VI HERO: PCI-e 3.0, SATA 3.0, USB3.0

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)

Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)

2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY

Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (€23)

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (€96)

TheKeir · Nov 24, 2013

Most games rely much more heavily on the graphics card than anything else, so you should do all you can do get a better one than the 770, even if it means cutting down on the CPU.

Zux · Nov 24, 2013

TheKeir said:
Most games rely much more heavily on the graphics card than anything else, so you should do all you can do get a better one than the 770, even if it means cutting down on the CPU.

Yea I understand, i'll post my updated spec shortly.

*Revised Spec*

Case
COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® MAXIMUS VI HERO: PCI-e 3.0, SATA 3.0, USB3.0

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)

Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)

2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY

Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (€23)

Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs

USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (€96)

Zux · Nov 24, 2013

Having updated my spec to now include the GTX 780 card,
I was also wondering something else (on a slightly strange and outdated note).

I am an avid Skyrim player and I play a with a LOT of mods including a large amount of high res Texture packs.
Would you guys have any idea if I should change anything within the build, the card for example in order to benefit this particular game?
I realise thats a rather specific question so if you're not sure, no problem.

Thanks in advance.

keynes · Nov 24, 2013

An i5 + gtx 780 will run circles around Skyrim.

TheKeir · Nov 24, 2013

Zux said:
Having updated my spec to now include the GTX 780 card,
I was also wondering something else (on a slightly strange and outdated note).

I am an avid Skyrim player and I play a with a LOT of mods including a large amount of high res Texture packs.
Would you guys have any idea if I should change anything within the build, the card for example in order to benefit this particular game?
I realise thats a rather specific question so if you're not sure, no problem.

Thanks in advance.

Skyrim happens to be one of the few games which is very CPU-intensive; an Intel i5 will handle it perfectly well. Combined with a GTX 780 (I really recommend finding the money for this rather than the 770), you're probably looking at a consistent 100+ fps on max settings in Skyrim. (Obviously mods lower this but it will still be fine

)

Edit: Here's a spec I would recommend. The CPU can't be overclocked but you can spend a little more and get the K version if you like (K = can be overclocked) and you'd need additional cooling for that. The trade off is the superb GTX 780, which is a way bigger improvement than an overclockable CPU.

Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB2.0, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 780 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Free Item
FREE BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS GAME with GTX 660 & 7 Series GPUs!
Free Item
FREE ASSASSINS CREED BLACK FLAG & MORE with GTX 660 & 7 Series GPUs!
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON HYPERX 3K SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 555MB/sR | 510MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ MODULAR TXM-650 V2-80 PLUS® (£79)
Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 2 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
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 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,216.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-haswell-pc/VpTxjEZNgs/

Zux · Nov 24, 2013

Thats actually exactly what I had chosen now but with a slightly different case.

Thank-you both very much for your help.

TheKeir · Nov 25, 2013

Zux said:
Thats actually exactly what I had chosen now but with a slightly different case.

Thank-you both very much for your help.

Which case?

Zux · Nov 25, 2013

TheKeir said:
Which case?

Was thinking the The Coolermaster 690 II. Like Keynes had suggested, what do you reckon?
Worth the extra cash? Outward aesthetics dont really concern me at all to be honest.

vanthus · Nov 25, 2013

Zux said:
Was thinking the The Coolermaster 690 II. Like Keynes had suggested, what do you reckon?
Worth the extra cash? Outward aesthetics dont really concern me at all to be honest.

Good case,have one myself,quite a large case so make sure it's going to fit in where you want it.

Zux · Nov 25, 2013

Yea the size is no problem, on a side note I was looking at my other options for each component and noticed the AMD FX-8350.
Would this be a better option for my needs or am I better off sticking to the intel i5 build I have up to now (i5-4670 + GTX-780)?
Keeping in mind the spec has really only gaming in mind (Heavily modded Skyrim in particular).

keynes · Nov 25, 2013

The i5 is a better option.

TheKeir · Nov 25, 2013

Zux said:
Yea the size is no problem, on a side note I was looking at my other options for each component and noticed the AMD FX-8350.
Would this be a better option for my needs or am I better off sticking to the intel i5 build I have up to now (i5-4670 + GTX-780)?
Keeping in mind the spec has really only gaming in mind (Heavily modded Skyrim in particular).

The i5 will perform better in most current games, and if you're thinking specifically of Skyrim then the i5 is a no-brainer - Intel CPUs just run that game a lot better than AMD's offerings.

Though for future games the FX-8350 may be just as good, or better, due to better multi-core threading in games. (The FX-8350 has 8 cores and the i5 has 4; current games don't take advantage of more than a couple of cores but they will do this generation due to the architecture of the new consoles)

Zux · Nov 25, 2013

Thanks for all your help guys. Repped you all.

Zux · Nov 26, 2013

TheKeir said:
The i5 will perform better in most current games, and if you're thinking specifically of Skyrim then the i5 is a no-brainer - Intel CPUs just run that game a lot better than AMD's offerings.

Though for future games the FX-8350 may be just as good, or better, due to better multi-core threading in games. (The FX-8350 has 8 cores and the i5 has 4; current games don't take advantage of more than a couple of cores but they will do this generation due to the architecture of the new consoles)

One final quick one for you,

If I was to spend the extra cash on the i5-4670 "K" with the intention of having a fiddle with some reasonably "safe" overclocking would there be a coolding solution you would reccommend
that is, what should I change on my build to facilitate this?

Thanks in advance.

Advice Appreciated

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